Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton met on the sets of the film Pushing Tin and a year later, they were married.
Some people run from being a parent because they don't see themselves in that role and having a child can be a deal-breaker in their relationship. Whether that's good or bad, is up to them to decide. However, having clarity on a matter like this is crucial for their partner as well. For instance, what if their spouse or partner wants a child? Being of two minds on important questions like this can lead to a break down in any relationship.
When Angelina Jolie, 45, started dating Billy Bob Thornton, 65, who became her second husband, people were surprised. The couple starred in Pushing Tin (1999) and have a 19-year age gap. Their age difference wasn't the only thing that surprised people. Thornton was engaged to fiancée Laura Dern, and Jolie (separated from husband Johnny Lee Miller) was dating Timothy Hutton, according to Instyle. In May 2000, they surprised the world by getting hitched.
They also started wearing vials of each other's blood around their necks and had large tattoos of each others' names. "Angie came home one day with…you know those lockets you buy that are clear and you put a picture of your granny in it or something like that and wear it around your neck? That’s what it was. She bought two of those. We were apart a lot because she's off making Tomb Raider and I'm making Monster’s Ball," he said.
"We were on opposite ends, we see each other for two weeks and whatever. She thought it would be interesting and romantic if we took a little razorblade 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," Thornton was quoted as saying by Mirror UK.
By 2003, their marriage was over but not before they decided to adopt a child together, and the child turned out to be Maddox. They found him, then aged seven and a half months, at an orphanage in Cambodia in 2002. The couple shared the statement, "We are very grateful to have him in our lives. In May, we return home, where his brothers Willie and Harry are very excited to meet him," according to Fabiosa.
However, soon after Thornton was gone from Jolie's life. Melissa deBin-Parish, who was married to the Bad Santa actor from 1978-1980, revealed that he left Jolie when she decided to have kids. "I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he did not want to be around children back then," deBin-Parish was quoted as saying by Radar Online. "Look at the timeline: she adopted Maddox and then, [Billy] was gone," she added.
They adopted him together but after the divorce, she sought custody and won. "I think he cheated on his other wives. He had a problem with fidelity. Could you imagine cheating on Angelina?! That would be the dumbest thing in the world. How would he top that?" said Thornton's first ex.
Jolie also spoke about the breakdown of her marriage. "We simply didn’t know each other anymore. It was very, very clear that we had nothing to talk about. It made for a very uncomfortable, sad situation. Billy and I didn’t sleep in the same place that night. I had that first night of realizing my best friend was gone," she was quoted as saying by Fabiosa.
However, the Oscar-winning actor revealed that the reason was different lifestyles. "Hers is a global lifestyle and mine is an agoraphobic lifestyle. So that’s really, that’s the only reason we’re probably not still together," he said, according to Hello! Magazine.
Thornton is on his sixth marriage currently and is a father to four kids. The Mr and Mrs Smith actress and the Love Actually actor divorced soon after Maddox's adoption was finalized. This wasn't even the first time he had left a child uncared for.
He reportedly has no relationship with his first child, Amanda. "My daughter was 18 months old when we split up," revealed deBin-Parish. Amanda served 8.5 years of a 20-year sentence for manslaughter. She was convicted for the death of her godchild but she maintained her innocence throughout.
References:
https://www.instyle.com/news/tbt-angelina-jolie-billy-bob-thornton-relationship#
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/billy-bob-thornton-angelina-jolie-4480054
https://ca.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/02018061445712/billy-bob-thornton-on-angelina-jolie-split#
