Why does Brad Pitt look like a corpse on the cover of GQ magazine?

The internet was whipped into a frenzy by the latest cover of GQ

magazine featuring veteran Hollywood leading man Brad Pitt.

On Thursday (NZT), GQ released its profile on Pitt for its August issue:

‘Brad Pitt Opens Up His Dream World’.

The movie star appears to be floating in a black pool of water and

flowers, his skin waxy, eyes wide and frozen into a blank stare.

Social media reactions to the cover, which was released to

promote Pitt’s upcoming action film Bullet Train, were not kind.

Some people compared his pallor to that of a corpse. Others said he looked like a “wax figure”.