Billy Bob Thornton has opened up about a much-discussed accessory that he and Angelina Jolie sported around their necks during their relationship.
Thornton, who appears in the second season of Landman, first crossed paths with Jolie in 1999 while working together on the film Pushing Tin. The pair quickly formed a connection.
The couple married in 2000, and in 2002, they adopted Maddox, a boy from Cambodia, marking the start of their family journey.
However, Thornton and Jolie went their separate ways in 2003, with Jolie seeking full custody of their newly adopted son. The divorce was finalized in May 2003.
One of the more peculiar aspects of their marriage occurred in 2001 when they were seen wearing vials containing each other’s blood.
This unique gesture certainly raised eyebrows as a testament to their love.
Thornton has now shed light on the story behind these infamous lockets.
“We each had a little locket, literally with a drop of blood in them,” the 70-year-old shared with Rolling Stone.
“That’s a romantic little idea, and that’s all that was. But by the time it’s over, we’re vampires. We live in a dungeon, we drink each other’s blood, and this kind of stuff.”
It’s certainly an interesting way to express affection.
Even though they parted ways three years after their marriage, Thornton maintains they ended things amicably.
“And of course, Angelina [Jolie] and I had a great time together. That was one of the greatest times of my life,” he commented. “She and I are still very, very close friends. And that was the one that ended up being a really civilized breakup. We simply split up because our lifestyles were so different.”
This isn’t the first time Thornton has addressed the peculiar lockets, having clarified back in 2014 that they only contained a small amount of blood.
“[A] vial of blood is very simple. Angie came home one day with a kit she bought,” he revealed at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film & Television, according to E! News.
“You know those lockets you buy that are clear and you put a picture of your grannie in it or something like that and wear it around your neck? That’s what it was.”
Thornton added: “She thought it would be interesting and romantic if we took a little razor blade and sliced our fingers, smeared a little blood on these lockets and you wear it around your neck just like you wear your son or daughter’s baby hair in one.
“Same thing. From that we were wearing quart jars of blood around our necks.”