Billy Bob Thornton Sets the Record Straight on the Famous ‘Blood Lockets’ With Angelina Jolie

Billy Bob Thornton is speaking openly about one of the most famous rumors from his past with Angelina Jolie.

For years, the story that they wore necklaces filled with each other’s blood followed them everywhere. Now, in new interviews with Rolling Stone and Esquire, he says the rumor was blown far out of proportion.

Thornton explained that the necklaces people talked about were nothing like what the tabloids claimed.

He said they did not wear bottles of blood around their necks. Instead, they kept a very small amount of blood in simple lockets. He told Rolling Stone, “We each had a little locket, literally with a drop of blood in them.”

He said the idea started as something sweet, but the media turned it into a strange legend. He joked that the story made them seem like characters from a horror movie, saying, “By the time it’s over, we’re vampires.”

In his conversation with Esquire, he said the idea came from Jolie. They were often working in different places and wanted something to remind them of each other. He said, “It was Angie’s idea.” He described how they used tiny lockets, added a small bit of blood, and wore them as a personal reminder during long periods apart. Thornton said it was meant to be a simple romantic gesture, not something shocking.

The two met while making the movie Pushing Tin in 1999 and married soon after. Their relationship drew intense media attention from the start, and Thornton said dealing with that level of attention felt strange. He said the sudden interest in their personal lives made it hard to move around normally. He explained that anything they said or did quickly became a headline.

Thornton and Jolie were married for a short time before going their separate ways. Despite the breakup, he says they stayed close. He told Rolling Stone, “She and I are still very, very close friends.” He said their split was calm and based on the fact that they lived very different lifestyles, not because of any major conflict.

After their divorce, Jolie began a relationship with Brad Pitt, whom she met while filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Over time, the two built a family together before ending their marriage several years later.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!