Brad Pitt reportedly offered advice to a "choked up" fan suffering from depression.

The 47-year-old actor held a special screening of his newest film Moneyball at the Cary Grant Theatre in Culver City, California, last weekend.

During a Q&A session after the movie, a struggling actor who appeared to be in his thirties stepped up to the microphone to speak. The "choked up" man told Brad that he was battling suicidal thoughts and that Moneyball gave him "a renewed sense of hope."

Brad did not flinch, quickly addressing the man's statement.

"[Brad] said, 'Look, man, life is up and down, it's a vicious cycle, but you have to go through it and deal with that,'" an observer at the event told Us Weekly.

"You can be down, but then you come back up again, and every failure can lead to success.'"

The mood was tense as many of the members of the audience were shocked by the man's candour. Brad seemed to reignite the room with his compassion.

"It was a really awkward moment," the source noted. "Brad handled the situation really well in front of several hundred people - it was a difficult moment that shocked everyone."

After the question and answer segment was complete, Brad went over to speak to the melancholy man who shared his woes.

"It was a touching moment," a second observer told the magazine.

"As he left the theatre he even stopped to talk with the guy to offer him some more words of encouragement because he was obviously fragile."

Moneyball was released in the US in September.