The couple were married for three years, after meeting on the set of their 1999 dramedy, “Pushing Tins.”

Billy Bob Thornton shares story behind those blood vial necklaces with ex Angelina Jolie: ‘It’s a romantic gesture’

The couple were married for three years, after meeting on the set of their 1999 dramedy, "Pushing Tins."

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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on November 20, 2025 10:57 p.m. ET

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Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton in 2000. Credit:

S. Granitz/WireImage

Billy Bob Thornton is dispelling a certain rumor about his early aughts relationship with Angelina Jolie.

The *Pushing Tin* costars, who were married from 2000 to 2003, were under serious tabloid scrutiny during their time together, often making headlines for their unconventional romantic gestures. Among the rumors about them was a claim that they wore vials of one another's blood in matching necklaces. But in a new interview with *Rolling Stone*, Thornton claims such jewelry "never existed."

"We each had a little locket, literally with a drop of blood in them," the *Landman* star clarified. "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."

The actor got even more specific about the lockets during a recent profile for *Esquire*, blaming Jolie for coming up with the idea in the first place.

Angelina Jolie & Billy Bob Thornton in 2001.

SGranitz/WireImage

"It was Angie’s idea," he explained. "We had to be apart a lot. So she said, 'When we’re apart, I thought this would be cool.'"

He continued, "She got two of those little lockets where you can open it up, put a picture of your grandma or whatever. And we got a little razor blade. We cut our fingers and we smeared a little blood on this locket, close it up, and wear it around your neck. It’s a romantic gesture."

The two actors first crossed paths on the set of their 1999 dramedy, *Pushing Tin*. At the time, Thornton was engaged to Laura Dern, a relationship that abruptly ended before he courted and eloped with Jolie in 2000. They ultimately split after two years of marriage, getting separated before finalizing their divorce in 2003. But Thornton maintains that it wasn't a bad breakup, and the actors remain friends to this day.

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"Angelina and I had a great time together. That was one of the greatest times of my life," he told *Rolling Stone*. "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."

Though they ended on good terms, Thornton acknowledged that it was an overall "pretty weird" experience when they first got together and began attracting the dedicated attention of tabloids and paparazzi.

"When we met, I was the more famous one," he explained. "And then when we got together, for some reason, the people and the media are very interested in celebrity couples, that seems to be a very popular thing. So, it was weird. We couldn’t go anywhere. I mean, we did, and then of course we had times when we would say things that became sound bites or whatever."

Billy Bob Thornton and his wife Connie Angland in 2024.

UNIQUE NICOLE/AFP via Getty

Following their split, Jolie began her even more infamous relationship with Brad Pitt. That pair began dating after meeting on the set of their 2005 action-comedy film, *Mr. and Mrs. Smith*. By that point, Jolie had already adopted kids Maddox and Zahara. She would additionally welcome four more kids with Pitt — Pax, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne — before tying the knot nearly a decade later in 2014. Two years later, Jolie filed to dissolve the marriage.

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As for Thornton, he has been married six times. He wed his current wife, Connie Angland, in October 2014, and the couple share 21-year-old daughter, Bella. Gushing about their partnership, the actor was quick to shut down the idea that his past relationships would turn him off to marriage.

"Connie and I have been together 23 years and married for 12," he told the outlet. "I found the right spot to be. The other times I got married were just like, you had a little too much to drink one night and somebody said, 'We should get married.' You go, 'Yeah, OK.'"

He added, "I always tell people, at least I was trying."

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