Brad Pitt "just wanted to make sure nothing was going to happen" when threatening Harvey Weinstein

The 'Ad Astra' star was in a relationship with the actress - who is now married to Brad Falchuk - when disgraced producer Weinstein allegedly tried to lure her into his hotel room and asked for a massage after she signed on to star in 'Emma' and 'Shakespeare in Love' in 1995.

Gwyneth - who dated Brad for three years until 1997 - claimed last year that the 55-year-old actor had confronted Weinstein after she told him what had happened, and now Brad has explained the reasoning for his threats.

He said: "At that moment, I was just a boy from the Ozarks on the playground and that's how we confronted things. I just wanted to make sure nothing was going to happen further because she was going to do two films [with Weinstein]."

And Brad says he's glad things are changing around the world now to improve the "dynamics" between men and women, specifically in the workplace.

During an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, he said: "I think the interesting thing is that we, Hollywood specifically, but the workplace, men and women's dynamics is being re-calibrated, re-calibrated in a very good way that is long overdue. And I do think that's an important story to tell."

His comments come after 46-year-old Gwyneth praised him for standing up for her during the alleged incident.

She said: "He told me exactly what he said. He said, 'If you ever make her feel uncomfortable again, I'll kill you.' It was great.

"It was the equivalent of throwing him against the wall, energetically.

"He leveraged his fame and power to protect me at a time when I didn't have fame or power yet ... he's the best. I love him for this."

The 'Iron Man' actress was left "shaken" by her encounter with Weinstein and admitted she was initially hesitant to speak about her experiences when first approached by reporters.

But she added: "Now, it seems like a no-brainer, but at the time, the floodgates hadn't opened, and not only did the story break, but it changed the culture completely."