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In the August issue of GQ<\/a> magazine, in an extremely softball interview, Pitt talked about being sober and quitting smoking. He quoted the poet Rumi. But the photos made more of a stir, sending the internet wild<\/a>, simply because they defy conventional leading-man glamour. In one he is wan, eyes rimmed with liner, lying in a watery bed of flowers like a dead Ophelia. In another, his eyes are adorned with rays of metallic silver makeup. With surreal, psychedelic backdrops, the photos were eccentric and completely unexpected. Agreeing to that <\/em>was a savvy move too, the kind that keeps viewers curious and helps keep great actors’ careers alive. <\/p>\n Pitt’s follow-up to Bullet Train couldn’t be more different from a popcorn action movie. In Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, set in Hollywood in the 1920s and due to be released in December, he plays a character reportedly based on silent-film idol John Gilbert. The role embraces conventional Hollywood glamour. But Pitt’s droll sense of his image and career shows us how to be a movie star \u2013 not an Instagram celebrity or an influencer, but an enduring, old-fashioned movie star \u2013 one for the 21st Century.<\/p>\n Bullet Train is released in the US on 5 August.<\/em><\/p>\n Love film and TV? Join\u00a0<\/em>BBC Culture Film and TV Club<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on Facebook, a community for cinephiles all over the world.<\/em><\/p>\n If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our\u00a0Facebook<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0page or message us on\u00a0<\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n And if you liked this story,\u00a0sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, called The Essential List. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n