Brad Pitt: I've "Rekindled A Lot Of That Lost Spirit"

Brad Pitt says his children have helped him regain some optimism after becoming somewhat jaded of the movie business.

He explained, "I was more optimistic and naive when I was younger and I arrived in Los Angeles with a few hundred dollars in my pocket and took any odd job I could find, then worked as an extra before I started to get acting jobs. I gradually grew more cynical and realistic about the world and in some ways I'm sorry I lost some of that openness and enthusiasm."

But he added that Maddox, 10, Pax, 8, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 5, and 3-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, have changed that.

Being a father and being part of my own family has rekindled a lot of that lost spirit, although I still have a naggingly realistic outlook on things."

The actor recently received a Golden Globe nod for his role in Moneyball. He's up for Best Actor in A Motion Picture.

That's a nice birthday present since he just turned 48. He and the family were just in Las Vegas where he received fun gifts such as rattlesnake keychains and a toy parrot from Angelina Jolie.