Pitt 'hesitant' over strict father role

Brad Pitt said he hoped his children would realise his portrayal of a stern father in his latest film was down to him being “a pretty damn-good actor” and not because it was close to reality.

The star, who is at the Cannes Film Festival to publicise 'The Tree of Life' which is in the running for the coveted Palme d’Or, plays an authoritarian parent bringing up a family in 1950s Texas in the film.