Brad Pitt: I was a real life True Romance stoner with depression by Pierce King . Published Fri 27 Jan 2012 15:54

Hollywood legend Brad Pitt has admitted that he battled depression in the early 90s, which he says was fuelled by smoking too much weed.



But he was shocked into action during a visit to Casablanca, Morocco, where he witnessed poverty to the the extreme' and vowed to turn his life around.



Brad, who stole several scenes as sofa bound pot head Floyd in the Quentin Tarantino penned flick True Romance, said dealing with depression was a learning curve and helped him figure out who he was.



Moneyball star Brad is still known to hit a bong or two after Tarantino revealed they smoked dope and drank wine while the Pulp Fiction mastermind filled him in on the script for Inglourious Basterds.



Brad, 48, said: "I was hiding out from the celebrity thing and was smoking way too much dope.



"I was laying on the couch and just turning into a doughnut and I really got irritated with myself. I got to thinking: 'What's the point? I know better than this.'



"I used to deal with depression, but I don't now, not this decade – maybe last decade.



"But that's also figuring out who you are. I see it as a great education, as one of the seasons or a semester: 'This semester I was majoring in depression.'



"I was doing the same thing every night and numbing myself to sleep, the same routine. Couldn't wait to get home and hide out. But that feeling of unease was growing and one night I just said, 'This is a waste.'"



His decision to 'get off the couch' was spurred by a trip to Casablanca where he saw 'poverty to an extreme I had never witnessed before.' Brad added: "It stuck with me."



Rethink Mental Illness charity xpokesman Mark Davies said: "When people in the public eye talk about mental illness, it sends a powerful message to all who face it at some point in their lives.



"Brad Pitt's story shows that it is possible to recover from depression, which will give many people renewed hope. We commend Brad Pitt for speaking so bravely and openly about his experiences."



Brad received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor earlier this week for his role in the baseball film Moneyball.