Brad Pitt gets a hug from Julia Roberts as he makes first public appearance since Angelina Jolie split

The pair attended a Los Angeles screening of coming-of-age drama Moonlight
Good friends: Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts
AP
Alistair Foster9 November 2016
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Brad Pitt put on a brave face as he made his first public appearance since separating from Angelina Jolie.

The actor, 52, was joined by his long-time friend Julia Roberts as he attended a Los Angeles screening of coming-of-age drama Moonlight, which his company Plan B produced.

He looked noticeably thinner as he turned up unannounced for the screening.

Pitt and Jolie have been embroiled in a custody battle over their six children since the actress, 41, filed for divorce in September after two years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

In support: Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts at a screening of Moonlight
AP

The couple are parents to Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

The actor was this week granted “therapeutic visits” to see them, although he is seeking eventual shared custody.

A representative for the actress said in a statement: "We can confirm that childcare professionals have encouraged a legal agreement accepted and signed by both sides over a week ago.

"In accordance with this agreement, the six children will stay in their mother's custody, and the children will continue therapeutic visits with their father.

"This has been determined by childcare professionals to be in the children's best interest."

Pitt and Roberts, 49, worked together on the Ocean’s Eleven movies and the 2001 film The Mexican.

He is expected to walk the red carpet tonight in Los Angeles at the premiere of his new movie Allied, with co-star Marion Cotillard.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt - In pictures

1/27

Follow @StandardEnts or like us on Facebook for more entertainment news.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in