It's Understandable Why So Many Wonder If Michael Pitt and Brad Pitt Are Related

People often wonder if two actors with the same last name are related, and often they're right. The acting bug tends to run in families, as shown by the Barrymores, Baldwins, and Fondas of the industry. And, aside from having the same last name, there are some definite similarities in physical features between Michael Pitt and Brad Pitt. But are they in fact related?

Both actors have dirty blond hair and similar facial features, sure, but there doesn't appear to be a close relation between the two Pitts. Brad, 56, was born in Shawnee, Okla. and raised in Springfield, Mo., whereas the much younger Michael, 39, was born and raised in West Orange, N.J.

Brad Pitt does have a brother, though, and while his fame is not nearly at the level of the two-time Oscar winner, he is well-known as a philanthropist and humanitarian. Having made his money in the fields of real estate and computer tech, Douglas Pitt founded a nonprofit serving impoverished youth in Missouri and also serves as a Goodwill Ambassador to Tanzania. He shares his brother's passion for humanitarian work in the U.S. and abroad, particularly in Africa.

Less because they have the same name and more because they share a slight resemblance and a talent for transformation in their roles, both Michael Pitt and Brad Pitt have been considered to play roles based on the life of Kurt Cobain. Well, sort of. Michael portrayed a character that was very heavily based on the late Nirvana singer in the Gus van Sant movie Last Days (not to be confused with Michael's latest film on Netflix, Last Days of American Crime). Although the movie is technically fiction, it is an imagined portrayal of the final days of the musician, and his look is heavily inspired by Kurt's.

And while there's no evidence Brad was ever directly under consideration to play Kurt or a character based on him, Courtney Love has said in the past she was looking for a "young Brad Pitt" type to play her late husband in a biopic. And, had there been a movie made closer to the time Cobain committed suicide, Brad would have been an ideal choice to play him as he was just three years older than the musician and sported a similar "grunge" aesthetic in the '90s.

A passing resemblance and the same last name — which is pretty common — seems to be where it ends though. If the two Hollywood Pitts share any DNA, they would likely have to have 23andMe confirm that. While the last name Pitt isn't nearly as common in the U.S. as Smith or Jones, it is fairly common in the U.K. and there have been several famous Pitts in history, including two British prime ministers.