BRAD PITT has broken his silence about his red carpet altercation with prankster VITALII SEDIUK, insisting the Ukrainian journalist is nothing but a “nutter”.
The actor joined his fiancee Angelina Jolie and five of their six kids for the Hollywood screening of her latest film Maleficent last week (28May14), when Sediuk scrambled over a security barrier and attempted to hit Pitt in the face.
The eccentric Ukrainian was wrestled to the ground and arrested and Pitt subsequently filed a restraining order against the prankster.
On Friday (30May14), Sediuk pleaded no contest to battery and assault charges and was sentenced to 20 days of community service and 36 months of probation and ordered to pay $220 (£138) in fines, while a judge also barred him from attending any future Hollywood events.
Now Pitt is opening up about the ordeal in a statement to People magazine, revealing what many people didn’t see after Sediuk lunged at him. He explains, “I was at the end of the line signing autographs, when out the corner of my eye I saw someone stage-diving over the barrier at me. I took a step back; this guy had latched onto my lapels.
“I looked down and the nutter was trying to bury his face in my crotch, so I cracked him twice in the back of the head – not too hard, but enough to get his attention, because he did let go. I think he was then just grabbing for a hand hold because the guys were on him, and he reached up and caught my glasses.”
Pitt continues, “I don’t mind an exhibitionist, but if this guy keeps it up he’s going to spoil it for the fans who have waited up all night for an autograph or a selfie, because it will make people more wary to approach a crowd.”
The movie star also referenced Sediuk’s last red carpet prank when the journalist attempted to scramble under America Ferrera’s gown on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival last month (May14). He adds, “He should know, if he tries to look up a woman’s dress again, he’s going to get stomped.”
The practical joker has also had red carpet encounters with Will Smith and Leonardo DiCaprio, and he was arrested at the 2013 Grammy Awards after he attempted to grab Adele’s Best Pop Vocal prize from presenter Jennifer Lopez.