Exclusive: Brad Pitt Consoles Suicidal Actor at Moneyball Event

Brad Pitt was a real pal to a stranger in need on Sunday.

Following a special screening of Moneyball at the Cary Grant Theatre in Culver City, Calif. on Sunday, the star, 47, encountered a distraught man during a Q&A session with hundreds of fans.

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According to an attendee, a 30-something struggling actor announced to Pitt, costar Jonah Hill and the crowd that he was battling suicidal thoughts alone in his car before the night's event-- but the film gave him "a renewed sense of hope."  

(In the acclaimed film, Pitt plays real-life Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, who built a champion team using computer-generated analysis to draft its player.)

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"It was a really awkward moment," the attendee tells Us, adding that the actor got "choked up" as he revealed his battles to the crowd.

But Pitt didn't flinch, the witness says. "He said, 'Look, man, life is up and down, it's a vicious cycle, but you have to go through it and deal with that,'" the observer reveals.

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The father of six and longtime love to Angelina Jolie continued in his pep talk: "'You can be down, but then you come back up again, and every failure can lead to success.'"

"It was a touching moment," adds a second observer. "As he left the theatre he even stopped to talk with the guy to offer him some more words of encouragemen,t because he was obviously fragile."

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Marvels the first witness: "Brad handled the situation really well in front of several hundred people -- it was a difficult moment that shocked everyone."

If you think you or a loved one are in an emotional or suicidal crisis, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline online, or call 800.273.TALK.