He was often referred to as one of Hollywood’s biggest heartthrobs of the 1990s and, while still dashingly handsome in his early sixties, Brad Pitt is said to be spending a fortune in a bid to cling on to his former youthful looks.

After starring in 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, it seems Brad is hoping to turn back the genetic clock in real life as he prepares to return to the big screen in his new film ‘F1’ next year. He will be playing a character significantly younger than his real age, and a source alleges a lot of money is being spent on removing Brad’s wrinkles in post-production.

The source tells Closer, ‘Playing a younger character can be a minefield when it comes to using CGI to very subtly erase the most obvious signs of aging for his many close-ups. Brad has a naturally “leathery” complexion, just like his idol Robert Redford, and he is extra susceptible to wrinkles because he loves spending time outdoors.

‘He’s serious about skin care, but that only goes so far after a certain age. In the movie, Brad’s roughest and most prominent wrinkles are being smoothed out digitally.’

Back in 2022, Brad – who’s been dating 31-year-old Ines de Ramon for two years – broke fans’ hearts when he hinted he could be close to retiring. He said in an interview, ‘I consider myself on my last leg. This last semester or trimester. What is this section gonna be? And how do I wanna design that?’

Luckily, he clarified his comments earlier this year, saying that he thinks of the stages of his career as “seasons” and, now that he is 60, is simply noticing how work is slowing down. He questioned, ‘What are these last years going to be?,’ adding that ‘the body becomes more frail’ as you age, but revealed hopes to be working well into his 90s like architect Frank Gehry.

The source explains to Closer that while Brad is showing no signs of checking out of Hollywood just yet, it might be time to age up his roles because – despite going to drastic editorial lengths to stay looking younger – he’s also embarrassed about it being obvious he’s trying to stay young.

‘As vain as Brad is, he doesn’t want to lean on “digital makeup” to keep his acting career going. F1 has to look slick and top Top Gun: Maverick in terms of high-octane thrills, but Brad hates the idea of looking like he’s trying to appear younger, even if that’s exactly what he’s doing. So, this could be the last movie where he plays a character in his fifties.’

The insider adds that Brad – who is also a co-producer of the upcoming movie – has a lot riding on its success, especially as films based on Formula 1 haven’t always found success at the box office.

While flicks like 2013’s Rush and 2010 documentary Senna won acclaim and sold a lot of tickets, Sylvester Stallone’s 2001 movie Driven, Zac Efron’s 2012 attempt At Any Price, and last year’s Gran Turismo – which starred David Harbour and Orlando Bloom – were panned by critics.

‘This movie has been a pressure cooker with enormous delays and logistical challenges, and there are still a lot of unknowns. Formula 1 has such a mixed track record as a movie subject matter, despite the sport’s worldwide popularity. Brad’s making a big bet here and of course his pride and vanity factor into it,’ the source explains.

‘If this movie doesn’t work, after years of production, he’s going to be the laughingstock of Hollywood. Sticking the landing on F1 is everything to him and looking good while he’s doing it is part of the plan and always has been!’

Brad’s appearance has been a hot topic for a while now, with it being speculated by aesthetics experts that he may have had a facelift, despite him never commenting publicly on his changing face.

At the start of the year, a TikTok by Dr Jonny Betteridge – the founder of London clinic JB Aesthetics – went viral after he suggested Brad could have spent up to £100,000 on a facelift in the video.
He claimed that a scar behind the actor’s ear was a ‘classic’ sign he had undergone the treatment, adding Brad’s new face was ‘a great example of surgery well done’.

The source continues, ‘Brad has never copped to getting any help from the plastic surgeon, or even using things like Botox and fillers, but it’s plainly obvious that he is not letting himself age naturally.

‘Last year there was a lot of buzz about him having had a full-on facelift, apparently a lot of the tell-tale signs are there if you look close enough. It’s certainly not something he’s going to come clean about, there’s still a lot of stigma around getting work done, especially for men.

‘But let’s face it, he’d be far from the only leading man who’s nipped and tucked to try and hang on to their youth. Still, even with all the help in the world, when someone is on the big screen every little flaw stands out, so the level of perfection required is so much more extreme, that’s why airbrushing has become the town’s dirty little secret.

‘It costs an insane amount of money to do and takes hundreds of hours because each frame has to basically be photoshopped but all the big A-listers demand it so Brad is far from alone in this.

‘But it’s still not something he’s going to want to discuss, it doesn’t fit with his rough and rugged persona. As much as he likes to come off as this guy that’s just naturally gorgeous and doesn’t have to try, the reality is he’s very vain and he puts a ton of effort into his appearance, it’s all very calculated and always has been. Even back when he first got famous, he was spending a small fortune on skin care to try and get rid of his acne scars because he was self-conscious about them. Years of laser treatments smoothed them out but now it’s his wrinkles and sagging skin that bother him.’