If only that excuse worked for everyone! Brad Pitt was ready and willing to do his civic duty as a juror in L.A., but his dream of a real-life 12 Angry Men was short-lived. According to the Daily Mail, it was decided that the A-list actor would be "too much of a distraction" in court, so he was dismissed from the selection pool.
"You just can't stick Brad Pitt in a jury box and expect 11 jurors to ignore him," L.A. attorney William Lively told MailOnline. "It's only natural that those jurors would be watching to see how Brad reacts to what's being said and that they could be influenced by his opinions once the jury goes behind closed doors to render a verdict."
Lively adds to Us Weekly that "too much attention" on one juror could "interfere with the objective examination of the allegations" in the case. "It's one of those things where [it's like], 'We're not going to use you because it's going to end up being about you,'" he says.
Pitt, for his part, was reportedly looking forward to the experience. "Brad was hoping he might get picked to serve on a short case," a source told the Daily Mail. "But the problem was, he would actually be required to serve for as long as it took for the case to be decided."
Trial or no trial, the Fury actor has a packed schedule. With wife Angelina Jolie sidelined by chickenpox, Pitt has been filling in for her at red carpet events for her new directorial effort, Unbroken, due out on Christmas day. He and three of their six children attended the L.A. premiere of the film on Dec. 15; he also stepped in at a promotional event on Dec. 14.
