Alia Shawkat: Dating rumors with Bradd Pitt got more attention than my acting

Actor Alia Shawkat recently recalled how her rumoured romance with Brad Pitt got more media attention than her over 20 years of acting career.

According to Variety, Alia Shawkat said in a recent interview with The New Yorker that it was "ironic and gross and stupid" how much the media focused on her romantic relationship with Brad Pitt during the pandemic.

For the unversed, the 'Arrested Development' actor was spotted hanging out with Brad Pitt in 2020, making headlines and rumours about the pair dating.

Shawkat slammed the media for giving her more attention due to the Brad Pitt dating rumours than for her 20-year acting career spanning since 1999. She most recently starred in 'Being the Ricardos' and the final season of the HBO Max comedy 'Search Party.'

"At the time, it was not fun at all. I'm not an actor who has ever dealt with the paparazzi. They don't know who the fuck I am. There's something ironic about it. It has nothing to do with Brad as a person -- he's a great fucking guy. But of course, the idea of me being romantically involved with an older white guy is what gets me the most attention. Not a 20-year career. That's what gets me. And it's ironic and gross and stupid," Shawkat said.

The actor added that she was "shaken up" by the media attention. "I have a studio in Highland Park where I go every day. And I was, like, 'There are these photos of me carrying way too much shit to get inside.' There are all these embarrassing photos, they had followed me there. Then they just disappeared, and now they don't give a shit," Shawkat said.

Shawkat also recalled the time when she visited her grandmother and discovered a gossip magazine with her face and Brad Pitt on the cover and the headline "Brad's New Girl!" Shawkat got the brunt of the attention, and she told The New Yorker that Pitt remained mostly unaware of the whole ordeal.

"He had no awareness of it at all. Which is so funny. Because he doesn't read that shit. I was, like, 'You know everyone thinks we're dating? And there's this whole thing, and I'm being followed.' And he was, like, 'I'm sorry. It happens. If you hang out with me, it happens.' He had no awareness of it at all," Shawkat said.