Brad Pitt photoshoot fires 'subliminal' shot at Angelina Jolie amid winery war: expert

Amid a heated legal battle over the "F1" star's French winery, Brad Pitt and George Clooney showcased their friendship and their storied careers with a photoshoot featuring Château Miraval.

The apparent public relations move could "absolutely be perceived as subliminal messaging," public relations expert Kelcey Kintner told Fox News Digital. Pitt and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie have been battling over the actress' sale of the vineyard for years via fiery court filings.

"There's not much not to like about two handsome movie stars sitting around in fancy clothes on a breathtaking vineyard," Kintner, a senior vice president at Red Banyan, explained. "Especially when you compare that imagery to the nasty never-ending divorce battle between Pitt and Jolie. It's like Pitt is trying to remind us that he is the good guy in all this, despite the claims by Jolie."

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George Clooney, left, and Brad Pitt pose for a photo outside at the Miraval estate. (Sølve Sundsbø/GQ)

Pitt and Clooney have been friends for nearly 25 years. Both actors have homes in the same small French town. Clooney's property, which he purchased during the COVID pandemic, is only nine minutes from the Miraval estate.

 "It's like Pitt is trying to remind us that he is the good guy in all this, despite the claims by Jolie."

— PR expert Kelcey Kintner

"We’ve been friends for a long time," Clooney told GQ in the cover story set at Miraval. "And it’s fun because we also check in on each other every once in a while, which is an important part of this. Things get complicated in life, and you always have to make sure everybody’s okay."

"George is probably the best at understanding, seeing the chessboard and the potential moves," Pitt added. "I’ll call George on numerous occasions when things get bumpy."

Brad Pitt, left, and George Clooney did an interview with GQ, hosted at Miraval. (Sølve Sundsbø/GQ)

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The interview is the first time in years that Miraval has been painted in a positive light. The French winery has made headlines since 2022 after Pitt sued Jolie, claiming her sale of the winery breached a contract between the former husband and wife.

"This is an opportunity for him to promote his love – Château Miraval – with a co-star that has power and a cool factor that can benefit his beloved investment," branding expert Eric Schiffer told Fox News Digital. "So, at a time where Miraval is kind of getting negative press because of the throw-down with Angelina, this helps to put it in a nicer light and further keep the brand out there. So it makes sense."

"It's a way to elevate above the fight with Angelina and help Miraval at the same time, and take it to a different level," Schiffer added.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been battling in court over their 17th-century French estate, Château Miraval. (Michel Gangne)

Pitt and Jolie have been fighting back-and-forth through multiple legal filings, but his latest move works in his favor, according to experts.

"He's not having to talk about the lawsuit, and he's able to promote something that he cares about and to help increase its reach and its brand," Schiffer explained. "In situations where you know you can control the message, that attention serves you because of the significant audience reach that he is able to get with Clooney."

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The former couple bought a controlling stake in Château Miraval in 2008 and spent time at the home throughout their relationship. The couple even married at the French vineyard in 2014, exactly 10 years ago. 

Jolie attempted to sell her company, Nouvel, to Tenute Del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group, in 2021, effectively transferring her 50% ownership interest in Miraval. Pitt has fought this sale, claiming the move breached a contract between the two.

Brad Pitt bought the 1,200-acre French estate Château Miraval in 2008 for $28.4 million and had intentions of raising his children with Angelina Jolie at the winery. The couple married in 2014. (Michel Gangne/AFP )

Meanwhile, Jolie's company claimed Pitt has been the mastermind of a "vindictive campaign" to "loot" the profitable business since she first filed for divorce in 2016.

Nouvel accused Pitt of "hijacking" Château Miraval and "wasting" the company's assets on unnecessary renovation projects, including spending $1 million on swimming pool renovations, according to the court documents previously obtained by Fox News Digital.

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Details of the couple's tumultuous relationship have been shared with the public via court filings – including Jolie's allegations that Pitt physically abused her during a plane ride in 2016.

"She continues to rehash, revise and re-imagine her description of an event that happened six years ago by adding completely untrue information each time she fails to get what she wants," a source previously told Fox News Digital.

Brad Pitt sued Angelina Jolie in 2022 after the actress sold her portion of the couple's joint business. (Getty Images)

Jolie later claimed, through her attorney, that Pitt had a "history of abuse" that occurred before the plane incident. According to the actress' lawyer, Jolie had attempted to sell her share of Miraval to Pitt, but he insisted she sign an "expansive" NDA covering up the alleged abuse.

"While Pitt's history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family’s September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him," Jolie's attorneys claim in court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. "Jolie never pressed charges as she believed the best course was for Pitt to accept responsibility and help the family recover from the post-traumatic stress he caused."

Angelina Jolie sold her company, Nouvel, to Tenute Del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group, in 2021. (Getty Images)

Pitt's team has maintained the NDA was strictly business related.

"Her hook is to allege that she was justified in terminating an imminent deal for Pitt to purchase her interest in Château Miraval, and in doing so breach her obligations not to sell to a stranger without his consent, because Pitt’s lawyers asked for an NDA to be included in the deal papers," his lawyers wrote in a court filing.

"The extent of Jolie’s reliance on NDAs will help establish that Jolie was experienced with NDAs and understood their legitimate business purposes and undermine Jolie’s claim that Pitt and Perrin’s proposal of a standard NDA with a broad carve-out for legal proceedings was ‘unconscionable’ and ‘against public policy.'"

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Brad Pitt accused Angelina Jolie of breaching a contract between the former couple with the sale of Miraval. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Jolie's next move should be to "let it be," according to branding expert Howard Breuer of Newsroom PR.

"I can see how she might see it differently," he told Fox News Digital. "But I strongly feel that celebs at this level need to, among other things, show that they can rise above such tit-for-tat games – especially if they don't want to worsen their Hollywood reputation of being difficult to work with!"

The "Maleficent" star should "just ignore it."

"She's probably joking about buying a vineyard right now next door to Miraval," Kintner said. "But seriously, she should just ignore it. Put her energy into her work and her kids, and not focus on the things she can't control."

Fox News Digital has reached out to a rep for Jolie for comment.