Celebrity couples have a way of captivating the public's attention, just look at how many headlines have come from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce or Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. There's something about pairs A-listers that fascinate fans, especially the ways they show affection for each other. Angelina Jolie's personal life has countless headlines over the years, including her famous relationship with Billy Bob Thornton. And the latter actor recently shared the real story behind that infamous blood vial necklace that turned so many heads back in the day.
While Angelina Jolie's divorce from Brad Pitt lasted years, that's far from the only high profile relationship she's had as a celebrity. She and Thornton turned heads when they got together in the early aughts, and in an interview with Rolling Stone the Love, Actually actor got real about that blood necklace that became synonymous with their relationship. When the subject of those blood vials came up, he said:
Which never existed. We each had a little locket, literally with a drop of blood in them. 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.
There you have it. Per Thornton's comments, the blood thing ended up being blown way out of proportion. They apparently use just one drop of blood each, rather than a full vial of their genetic material. Per his recollection, the media and fans simply got carried away and it became a much bigger deal than it really was. Hey, nobody said being famous was easy.
Despite BBT's recollection, the blood thing continues to be synonymous with the relationship he had with Jolie. So much so that when Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly followed suit with a blood necklace they were dubbed the new Billy Bob and Angelina. Although that former couple took things a step further as Fox and MGK admitted to drinking each other's blood.
Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie tied the knot back in 2000, although the marriage would only las a handful of years. Still, that didn't stop them from making headlines, turning heads, and remaining iconic all these years later. And despite their split (and those blood stories), the former couple is reportedly still close two decades later. This stands in stark juxtaposition to the long and brutal divorce process that happened after she and Brad Pitt were involved in, dating back to 2016.
Both Jolie and Thornton continue to have thriving professional lives. The latter recently celebrated the release of Landman Season 2, which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription as part of the 2025 TV schedule.
