Brad Pitt probably wasn't expecting to get a personal message from one of America's best-known evangelists after opening up about one of the darkest periods of his life.
But that's exactly what happened.
Pastor Greg Laurie has publicly reached out to the Hollywood superstar after Pitt's recent comments about experiencing an extraordinarily dark period amid family turmoil. In a new video released August 14 titled "What Brad Pitt Just Admitted Will Surprise You," Laurie uses Pitt's candid confession to make a direct appeal to the actor: come back to God.
And Laurie doesn't dance around the subject.
The Harvest pastor recounts Pitt describing a period when his emotional pain became so intense that he contemplated suicide. According to Laurie, Pitt said it was the only time in his life he had felt that way and connected the despair specifically with painful family circumstances.
Laurie also revisited another revealing Pitt quote about the emptiness that can accompany success. The actor questioned why having the things society tells people to pursue-the car, the condo and material success-can still leave someone feeling desperation, loneliness and isolation.
For Laurie, that was an opening.
The pastor argues that Pitt's experience illustrates something money, fame and an A-list Hollywood career can't fix. His answer, unsurprisingly, is Jesus Christ.
But then Laurie makes things much more personal.
He brings up Pitt's complicated history with Christianity, noting that the actor was raised in a Christian home and attended church, before later describing himself as an atheist, then an agnostic and, more recently, as spiritual.
That's when Laurie effectively turns from preaching about Brad Pitt to preaching to Brad Pitt.
"Brad, if you happen to watch this," Laurie says, before extending the same invitation to anyone who grew up in church but later walked away.
His message: God still loves you, and you can come home.
Laurie invokes Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, portraying God as the father waiting for his wandering child to return. He then addresses Pitt directly again, telling the actor that God wants a relationship with him and urging him to turn to Christ.
And because this is Greg Laurie, there was naturally a classic-Hollywood connection too.
Laurie compared Pitt's spiritual journey with that of Steve McQueen, another enormously successful actor who, despite fame and wealth, became disillusioned with Hollywood. Laurie has extensively researched McQueen's conversion and even wrote a book about it.
In the new video, Laurie recounts how McQueen's friendship with flight instructor Sammy Mason eventually led him to church, where he heard the gospel and became a Christian.
Laurie's point couldn't be clearer: if it happened to Steve McQueen, why not Brad Pitt?
The response from Laurie's audience was immediate.
Commenters began saying they were praying for Pitt, while one viewer even urged Laurie to interview the actor. Another wrote that Pitt sounded as though he might not be far from embracing the message Laurie was presenting.
Of course, one distinction is important: Pitt himself has not announced a conversion or return to Christianity. Laurie's video is an evangelical response to Pitt's comments, not evidence that the actor has embraced Laurie's conclusions.
Still, it's quite a moment.
One of Hollywood's biggest stars publicly talks about fame failing to insulate him from loneliness and profound personal pain. One of America's most recognizable evangelists hears those comments and essentially responds:
Brad, maybe it's time to come home.
