EXCLUSIVE: He's the real deal! Brad Pitt has volunteered at least 30 times delivering food to Watts residents since the summer as a community leader says the actor 'doesn't act like a big Hollywood star, he's more of a Good Samaritan'
Brad Pitt has been quietly helping to feed the less fortunate in one of LA's most deprived housing projects for months.
Community leader DeAnthony Langston described the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star as a 'Good Samaritan' for supporting the Watts area of South LA during the pandemic.
The boxes include essentials such as fruits, vegetables, milk and juice.
In exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com, Brad is seen lugging around and handing out boxes of groceries in LA last week
Community leader DeAnthony Langston tells DailyMail.com that the Brad Pitt first started volunteering in the summer and has been back about 30 times
DeAnthony described the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star as a 'Good Samaritan' for supporting the Watts area of South LA during the pandemic
He said he had no idea he was talking to Brad Pitt at first because he didn't 'behave like a big Hollywood star'
DeAnthony explained that the Oscar-winner first showed up in Watts this summer with his friend Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist.
He says Brad told him: 'You could really use us right now because white guilt is at an all-time high.'
DeAnthony grew up in Watts before playing basketball professionally all over the world and then started the Real Run summer basketball league for pros who wanted to keep their game up to scratch
Since then the actor has been back some 30 times, all while dealing with the fallout from the pandemic and his messy court battle for custody of the six kids he shares with ex Angelina Jolie.
DeAnthony, who runs a program teaching youngsters life skills through basketball called Real Run Foundation, says he spoke with Brad a couple of times without even realizing who it was due to the mask he used to protect himself from Covid-19.
Dad-of-two DeAnthony, 54, told DailyMail.com: 'I met this guy a couple of times while we were handing out boxes and I didn't know who he was.
'Then one of my friends was talking about Brad Pitt and I was like ''What do you mean, Brad Pitt? Why didn't you tell me?''
'Turns out I had talked to Brad Pitt for 30 minutes and I didn't even know it was him.
'He was just trying to find out about how everybody is doing. He was so cool.
'He was like ''You could really use us right now because white guilt is at an all-time high''.
'I had just lost some really close friends and I was talking to him about it, and since then he always asks how I'm doing.'
'He will stop and talk with people, pose for pictures and for videos and he doesn't mind at all,' DeAnthony said. Brad is pictured in orange with other volunteers
DeAnthony added: 'Watts is a pretty tough place but Brad is just a real person, a real cool cat who really cares about the community'
DeAnthony explained that the Oscar-winner first showed up in Watts this summer with his friend Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist. Flea and Brad are pictured earlier this year in Malibu
DeAnthony said, 'He really puts the work in, he's amazing. Recently he jumped on his BMW motorcycle and was riding it around the projects.
'Other times he has brought a big old truck with boxes of food in it.
'He and Flea order all kinds of food – lettuces, fruits, vegetables, onions, potatoes, milk, cheese, chicken, turkey, yogurt, juice – enough food for the whole week, and then we hand it out to the people who need it.'
DeAnthony grew up in Watts before playing basketball professionally all over the world and then started the Real Run summer basketball league for pros who wanted to keep their game up to scratch.
He is used to hanging out with celebrities and even had a role alongside Michael Jordan in the cult classic basketball movie Space Jam.
DailyMail.com spotted Brad Pitt helping feed those in need in South Central Los Angeles last week
'He was grabbing more boxes than anyone there and then carrying probably six boxes at a time on a cart,' a source said. 'He did that non-stop and towards the end when all the boxes had been unloaded he was handing them out to the people in line'
Many of those who received groceries didn't realize they were in the presence of one of the world's most famous actors, because of his casual style and the mask he was wearing to protect himself from COVID-19
But despite being familiar with a few famous faces, DeAnthony says that what he has seen from Brad has left him in awe.
He said: 'Watts is a pretty tough place but Brad is just a real person, a real cool cat who really cares about the community.
'He's always bringing stuff over that's dope for the community, he's unbelievable.
'He will stop and talk with people, pose for pictures and for videos and he doesn't mind at all.'
DeAnthony added that Brad 'doesn't behave like he's a big Hollywood star, he's more of a Good Samaritan.
'Just to have a guy like that down there, it brings awareness to what we're doing so we're really appreciative of him.
'People love it and they really need it because it's hard times at the moment.'
'There was zero swagger, when he went out to hand over boxes to the crowds he had his mask on,' a source told DailyMail.com. 'Most people in the crowd probably didn't know who he was'
In the first candid photos taken of him since he reportedly split from German girlfriend Nicole Poturalski, Brad was seen last week smoking cigarettes while on a break from volunteering.
An eyewitness said: 'Brad really did seem like a hero, the man did not stop all day. Just seeing him driving a big truck in South Central LA during Covid times was in itself amazing.
'He was completely committed, you could see it wasn't a case of him turning up and showing his face,' they added. 'He had his gloves on and he was involved as much and probably more than anyone else there.
'His heart was in it and it was just a hats-off moment. It seemed like it was the real Brad Pitt, which we don't really ever get to see.
'He was there between three and four hours and he would only stop every hour or so to have a quick three-minute break to smoke a cigarette and then he was back at it.'
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