So many things were shocking about Brad Pitt getting punched in the face by a deranged prankster at the Los Angeles premiere of Maleficent on May 28. The sheer senseless hostility of the act, for one.
However, after the assault Pitt his fiancé, Angelina Jolie, announced just a few days later that she had no intention of increasing security when she and Pitt are on the hustings meeting fans. Calling Pitt’s assailant “an exception to the rule”, she told the media “Most fans are just wonderful. We’ve had a wonderful experience over the years, and we’re very grateful for their support, and it will not change the way we behave.”
Jolie and Pitt have perfected the art of first-person fan management, a level of public engagement that goes much deeper than the easy smile-and-wave from a safe distance.
