- Brad Pitt pays tribute to Angelina Jolie
- Pitt attended "World War Z" New York premiere alone; Jolie was preparing for another event
- Melissa Etheridge disagrees with Jolie's course of action for cancer
(CNN) -- Angelina Jolie may not have been by Brad Pitt's side, but she was certainly on his mind.
Pitt attended the New York premiere of his new film, "World War Z," without Jolie, who was "getting ready for World Refugee Day," Pitt told the assembled reporters. But asked to describe his feelings for his fiancee, he didn't mince words.
"She has always been the brave, bold individual that I fell for -- and sexy as ever," he said.
Jolie recently announced she had undergone a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after learning that she carried a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which sharply increases her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died from ovarian cancer in 2007.
Jolie was with Pitt at the London premiere earlier this month and said that she felt "great."
"I feel wonderful, and I'm very, very grateful for all the support. It's meant a lot to me," the actress told the BBC.
The lives of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, both on and off the big screen, make headlines around the world. Pictured here, Pitt and Jolie arrive at the 84th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2012, in Hollywood.
Pitt speaks at a Paramount Pictures presentation to promote his upcoming film, "World War Z" during CinemaCon on April 15, 2013, in Las Vegas.
Jolie leaves Lancaster House after attending the G8 Foreign Minsters' conference on April 11, 2013, in London.
Jolie meets with refugees at the Zaatari refugee camp outside of Mafraq, Jordan, on December 6, 2012, in this handout image provided by UNHCR.
Pitt and Kevin Bacon perform a one-night reading of "8" presented at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, on March 3, 2012.
Pitt arrives for a screening at the 65th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 22, 2012.
Accompanied by their six children, Pitt and Jolie arrive at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, on November 8, 2011.
Jolie visits a man in a hospital in Misrata, Libya, on October 11, 2011, in this handout photo provided by UNHCR.
Jolie and Pitt visit refugees in the village of Medjedja, Bosnia, on April 5, 2010.
Pitt, George Clooney, executive producer Jerry Weintraub and Matt Damon pose for a photo during their hand and footprints ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, on June 5, 2007.
Photos: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
'I wouldn't call it the brave choice'
However, not everybody was 100% behind Jolie. In an interview with the Washington Blade, singer Melissa Etheridge said she believed Jolie had made a "fearful choice."
"I have that gene mutation too and (the preventive mastectomy) is not something I would believe in for myself. I wouldn't call it the brave choice," she said. "I actually think it's the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer." Etheridge, a cancer survivor as well, said she prefers to focus on good nutrition and reducing stress levels.
Pitt, however, characterizes Jolie as "heroic."
He told USA Today in May that the past few months have been "emotional and beautifully inspiring."
"I'm quite emotional about it, of course," he said. He and Jolie have six children.
"World War Z" opens Friday.
