Pitt recalls the red carpet incident at 'Maleficent' premiere in his statement, while the Ukrainian prankster says he 'never slapped Brad Pitt in the face.'
- Jun 3, 2014
AceShowbiz - Brad Pitt broke silence on red carpet incident at the "Maleficent" premiere which took place on Wednesday, May 28. In a statement to PEOPLE, Pitt recalled the moments when an Ukrainian "nutter" Vitalii Sediuk approached him when he was signing autographs for fans.
"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," he said.
"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. And he should know, if he tries to look up a woman's dress again, he's going to get stomped," the father of six added.
Pitt was not injured following the incident, but a previous report suggested his glasses got broken. Sediuk, who previously targeted Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio and America Ferrera at other events, was ordered to stay away from Pitt and Angelina Jolie, do community service, undergo psychological counseling for one year, pay a fine, and was put on a 36-month probation.
Before Pitt released his statement, the former TV journalist also opened up about the red carpet incident, saying that reports of him punching the "12 Years a Slave" star were not true and that he was just trying to hug the actor. "I never hit, I never punched, I never slapped Brad Pitt in the face. This is absolutely false information," he said, as reported by The Associated Press. "It is something that hurts not only me, but also my family."
"I'm a normal guy. I'm not crazy," the Ukrainian man said, adding that the red carpet prank was just "for fun." Sediuk also explained that show organizers and celebrities might learn something from his antics at Hollywood events. "Don't get offended at me. Don't get mad at me. And just to be thankful that I show it's easy to get access to you and maybe you have to tighten security. Obviously, I don't want to say, 'Don't talk to fans.' But (be) cautious."
