Brad Pitt, 56, may be busy with his film career — but he’s still a doting dad at heart! “Brad is busy getting ready for award season and looking forward to all of that but he is very interested in relaxing during the holiday season and see his kids,” a source close to the actor tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY, referencing his recent Golden Globe nod for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. “He will make it personal as he, like all greats dads, cherish moments like this — and this will be no different. He just wants them to be happy this holiday season and he will be happy spending time with them. He is looking forward to a great normal holiday with no drama.”
Brad and Angelina Jolie, of course, share Maddox, 18, Pax, 15, Zahara, 14, Shiloh, 13, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 11. This years’ plans certainly seem like a departure from 2017, where the couple seemed to be making their own family plans: Angelina wanted to take the family away on a lavish vacation, while Brad wanted everyone to spend the holiday together in Los Angeles. Last year, Brad and Angelina were able to come together and spend Christmas together as a united family — which we can only imagine the kids loved!
While both parents seem committed to keeping a united front — even signing a private custody agreement in Nov. 2018 — Brad does seemingly have a strained relationship with Maddox. The 18-year-old recently moved away from home for the first time to attend South Korea’s prestigious Yonsei University in Seoul, and Angelina was even spotted at the school to help him make the transition. “I leave today, I’m trying not to cry,” the Oscar winner said in touching video in August, filmed by a fellow student. Meanwhile, Brad was not present for the drop off and reportedly felt that he was sadly “left out” of Maddox’s entire college experience.
The eldest Jolie-Pitt kid had some perplexing comments when ambushed about his dad potentially also visiting him at the school. “I don’t know about that, what’s happening,” he answered, referencing a potential in-person appearance by Brad at school “Whatever happens, happens.” The incident marked the first time that the teen had spoken publicly after his Brad and Angelina’s 2016 split. As we previously reported, Brad is proud of Maddox — who is studying biochemistry — and wants him and all of his kids to have the most normal upbringing possible.