Never again will we see a Hollywood power couple like Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton. From getting down and dirty on the way to a movie premiere to getting married in Las Vegas, these two Hollywood bad troublemakers had it all in their whirlwind romance.
Instead of walking the red carpet hand-in-hand and eating candlelit dinners like every other celebrity couple, these two stars installed a padded cell in their house and talked about their love life.
Their relationship ended as quickly as it had begun, around 2003, under mysterious circumstances, but they remain close friends.
Whether or not they ended up together, the public was shocked to see blood vials around their necks, which were supposed to represent the couple's undying love for one another.
The Truth About Angelina Jolie And Billy Bob Thornton’s Blood Necklaces
In 2000, Thornton and Jolie followed celebrity custom by getting married in a hasty ceremony in Las Vegas. They later renewed their vows in a more formal ceremony back in Hollywood.
Although Thornton had been divorced four times before, he said, “This time’s the only time. I have never truly been married to anyone before,” whilst also declaring, “We’ll keep getting married at least once a year.”
Thornton once admitted to an interviewer that he and Jolie had relations in their limo before the interview. The couple's Hollywood mansion was also said to feature a well-worn dungeon.
Blood necklaces accompanied these overtly emotional displays. Both Thornton and Jolie wore a vial containing the other's blood around their necks.
The couple frequently displayed their matching necklaces at high-profile events, including on the red carpet. Some might see this as odd but romantic; others might see something more sinister in it.
Jolie's co-star in the 2000 film Original Sin, Antonio Banderas, said that he found Thornton and Jolie's blood necklaces to be "pretty scary" and that they "sound like a Catholic ritual." Thornton "almost choked to death" on his necklace while wearing it to bed, which probably didn't do much to dispel these eerie associations.
Nonetheless, the couple didn't find it quite as creepy. In actuality, they took it as a romantic gesture, and it's possible that the media exaggerated the situation.
“We were apart a lot because she’s off making Tomb Raider, and I’m making Monster’s Ball. We were on opposite ends, we saw 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 wore it around your neck just like you wear your son or daughter’s baby hair in one. Same thing.”
“The necklaces were a very simple thing, ‘Hey, let’s poke our fingers with a pen and smear a little blood on there, and when we’re away from each other, we’ll wear the necklace,’” Thornton said. “It was that easy. But by the time it came out in the press, it sounded like we were wearing a bucket of blood around our necks.”
In a 2008 interview, Jolie elaborated on the subject further, “It was like a flower press. It was like a slight cut on your finger, and you pressed your fingerprint in.” The actress described it as "kind of a sweet gesture."
Thornton addressed the rumors that he had built an "underground dungeon" in their basement by explaining that it was actually a recording studio.
Additionally, Thornton stated his desire for more honesty from the press and the media, saying, "I think it's your duty to kind of tell people the truth about this stuff, and the truth is not encouraged anymore."
How Angelina Jolie And Billy Bob Thornton Inspired Megan Fox And Machine Gun Kelly
Ever since his divorce from Angelina Jolie, Billy Bob Thornton has been very cagey when it comes to talking about his personal life in the press.
However, he has maintained his high opinion of Jolie, telling Piers Morgan in 2012, “She’s a great friend, and would be there if I needed her, and vice versa.” He was also fully supportive of her relationship with Brad Pitt, even though the couple would later divorce and embroil themselves in a custody battle. Ultimately, Thornton admitted that he "never felt good enough for her.”
When asked about Thornton in 2008, Jolie responded, “I still love him dearly and think the world of him, and I’m proud to have been his wife for a time. I don't believe in regrets. It's a dangerous habit to get into—it makes you pause in your life if you start thinking back and questioning yourself."
Some say that history repeats itself, and it seems that Jolie and Thornton's public display of affection has caught up with the modern era. Ask Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly.
Two decades later, it appears that Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly have taken a page from Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton's bloodstained Hollywood playbook.
The rapper posted a Valentine's Day tribute to Fox on Instagram, in which he simply wrote, "I wear your blood around my neck." One of the supplementary photos shows a round pendant stained with what appears to be Megan Fox's blood.
The Truth About Angelina Jolie's Dark Past
It's possible that Jolie's brief but eventful marriage to Thornton, complete with matching vials of blood, was only a blip in her often turbulent existence. She's matured quite a bit since her Hollywood wild child days.
Jolie's unwavering confidence in making risky decisions is a big part of her appeal. The actress has spoken openly about the difficult times in her life and how she has now changed her perspective. Jolie has put behind her a murky background that she claims were so perilous that she was lucky to escape alive.
"I went through heavier, darker times, and I survived them. I didn't die young," she tells CBS News. "So I am very lucky. There are other artists and people that didn't survive certain things. For many reasons, I shouldn't be here," says Jolie.
Jolie claims that she retains part of her edginess despite her settled lifestyle. "I'm still a bad girl," she declared. "I still have that side of me. It's just in its place now.”
After her impulsive marriage to Thornton, Jolie has come a long way, yet a remnant of her former self still lingers.