The best intentions. Brad Pitt is making it right after being accused of building faulty homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina — and he’s teaming up with an environmental nonprofit powerhouse to do it.
Pitt, 56, and his Make It Right Foundation were sued in 2018 over homes they constructed in New Orleans following the devastating 2005 storm. Nearly four years later, the actor has officially reached a $20.5 million settlement, partnering with Global Green to rectify the defects.
“I am incredibly grateful for Global Green’s willingness to step up and provide this important support for the Lower Ninth families,” the Bullet Train star told Us Weekly in a statement on Thursday, August 18. “We collaborated in the early days post-Katrina and we are very fortunate to have Global Green’s generous continuing commitment to help address the challenges around these homes and others in need.”
A source tells Us that Pitt originally came on board “with the best intentions” for the recovery project, helping to raise millions of dollars to construct the homes that were sold for around $150,000 each. However, after he passed on the day-to-day responsibilities to his foundation, it became clear they could not deliver quality living spaces.
Residents of the houses in question then sued the Lost City actor and his associates for defective design and building practices, breach of contract and fraud, claiming that the homes were poorly built and plagued by a host of issues, including mold and structural damage.
While Pitt initially petitioned to be removed from the suit, arguing he should not be held responsible for the project’s actual construction, the insider tells Us that he eventually found a resolution with Global Green to help provide capital to the homeowners, “promising to find the best solution” to the problem.
While a judge still needs to sign off on the settlement, the remaining funds will be divided among the residents depending on the individual quality of their homes.
“Hopefully this agreement will allow everyone to look ahead to other opportunities to continue to strengthen this proud community in the future,” the World War Z star told Us on Thursday.
Pitt is currently costarring in Bullet Train alongside Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, each of whom play assassins. The trio all find out their missions have something in common while riding on a fast-moving train. Joey King, Sandra Bullock and Bad Bunny also star in the action film, which was adapted from Kōtarō Isaka’s Maria Beetle novel.
“[My character is] definitely the chump of the story, which is really good fun to play,” the Oklahoma native told Good Morning America earlier this month. “He’s had a bit of therapy, he’s read his self-help book and he’s gonna, like, do things different with these sociopaths.”
He added: “I really enjoy what I do. I just enjoy it more than I ever have. I’m just content with my choices. I walk on set, you know, and I actually had moments where I just, like, [said], ‘I am so fortunate to be here.’”