In a candid profile with The New York Times, Brad Pitt opened up about his commitment to sobriety after his drinking reportedly played a significant role in his split from Angelina Jolie.

“I had taken things as far as I could take it,” Pitt told the Times, “so I removed my drinking privileges.” The 55-year-old actor attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for a year and a half following his divorce and the experience reshaped his perception of masculinity. “You had all these men sitting around being open and honest in a way I have never heard,” he said. No one leaked Pitt’s stories from AA to the press, a testament to the trust that existed between the members of the group. Pitt explained, “It was actually really freeing just to expose the ugly sides of yourself.”

The movie star, who is already receiving Oscar buzz for his turn as steely stuntman Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, will next appear in Ad Astra, out Sept. 20.