The Tree of Life actor was asked about the six-times nominated film in the run-up to Sunday night's ceremony in Hollywood.
"If you avoid the star system, you'll find equally talented people for a lot less money," he told the Los Angeles Times.
"And then, they cast me," he added, smiling.
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Moneyball stars Pitt as a general manager trying to turn out a winning baseball team on a budget.
The film lost out to The Artist, which took the 'Best Picture' award.
Pitt was shortlisted for 'Best Actor', which went to The Artist's Jean Dujardin, while his Moneyball co-star Jonah Hill lost out to Christopher Plummer in the 'Best Supporting Actor' category.
Martin Scorsese's Hugo and The Artist swept the board at this year's Oscars, with five awards each.
More Oscars coverage:
> Oscars 2012: 84th Academy Awards - live blog
> Oscars: Meryl Streep pays tribute to friends in 'Best Actress' speech
> Oscars: 'The Artist's Michel Hazanavicius win 'Best Director' gong
> Oscars 2012: Octavia Spencer wins 'Best Supporting Actress' for 'The Help'
> Oscars 2012: Academy Awards winners list in full
> Oscars: Academy Awards 2012: Red carpet pictures
Watch a clip from Moneyball below:
