Brad Pitt has been excused from jury duty in Los Angeles because a judge considered the movie star too much of a distraction.

The actor was reportedly ready and willing to perform his civic duty as a juror, but he has been dismissed from the selection pool of an upcoming case.

Los Angeles attorney William Lively tells MailOnline.com, "You just can't stick Brad Pitt in a jury box and expect 11 jurors to ignore him. It's only natural that those jurors would be watching to see how Brad reacts to what's being said and that they could be influenced by his opinions once the jury goes behind closed doors to render a verdict.

"It's one of those things where (it's like), 'We're not going to use you because it's going to end up being about you'."

A source adds, "Brad was hoping he might get picked to serve on a short case, but the problem was, he would actually be required to serve for as long as it took for the case to be decided."