"We were in this room with the veterinarian who stitched up Cate, and he was the real veterinarian of that town. His hands didn't smell so good, because he came from some goat surgery," he said.

For Pitt, who during the news conference brushed aside a suggestion he had become an icon, the experience was humbling.

"How easily they picked it up and understood what they were trying to get across. ... I was just pretty surprised. It took me down a notch as well," he said.

HIGH POWER, LOW PROFILE

Pitt has kept a relatively low profile since the birth of his daughter, Shiloh, with Angelina Jolie in May, and he did not appear in Cannes.

His has been the most sought-after face at a Toronto festival already boasting considerable star power with the likes of Russell Crowe, Jude Law, Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez.

At the news conference on Sunday, the moderator twice chided photographers to "calm down" so Pitt's answers could be heard over the sound of clicking cameras. That prompted Pitt to wave his hands and mug for the photographers.

"That's the picture that's going to end up when I have breakdown or something ... if I get arrested for a DUI (drunken driving charge) later on, make racial slurs or something," he joked.

Inarritu said he considered the film at its core to be about parents and children, a theme that resonated with Pitt.

"It becomes the one thing that keeps you up at night, how can you protect your children? It's less about yourself, and it's more about the kids," he said.

Pitt added fatherhood would definitely influence roles he accepts in the future.

"I'll try to be a little bit more mature about my decisions, but this one I'll be proud for them to see, once they're old enough to really understand it."

"Babel" is scheduled for limited release in October.