Billy Bob Thornton Explains Famous Blood Vial Necklaces with Angelina Jolie: ‘That Was One of the Greatest Times of My Life’

Billy Bob Thornton is setting the story straight on a major moment in his relationship with Angelina Jolie.

Thornton, 70, gave new details on the famous claim that he and ex-wife Angelina Jolie wore vials of each other’s blood.

“We each had a little locket, literally with a drop of blood in them,” the Landman star said in a new interview with Rolling Stone. “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.”

Despite the intense public view of the relationship, Thornton maintained that they parted ways on good terms.

“And of course, Angelina [Jolie] and I had a great time together. That was one of the greatest times of my life,” he told the magazine. “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.”

Jolie met Thornton while filming Pushing Tin in 1999. The pair eloped a year later in 2000 in Las Vegas, shortly after Thornton abruptly ended his engagement to Laura Dern. In 2002, the couple announced they were adopting son Maddox from Cambodia. The former couple were married for two years and divorced in 2003.

In 2014, Thornton addressed the longstanding speculation on the pair’s rumored blood vials and clarified they actually wore lockets with a small drop of blood, while speaking at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film & Television.

“[A] vial of blood is very simple. Angie came home one day with a kit she bought,” he said, according to E! News. “You know those lockets you buy that are clear and you put a picture of your grannie in it or something like that and wear it around your neck? That’s what it was.”

“She thought it would be interesting and romantic if we took a little razor blade 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,” he said in 2014. “Same thing. From that we were wearing quart jars of blood around our necks.”

Angelina Jolie has had many high-profile relationships in her life, but these days she’s focused on her children.

After filing for divorce from her longtime partner Brad Pitt in 2016, the actress told PEOPLE exclusively in 2017 that she was “a little bit stronger” following the split. “We all have our difficult times, but as a mother you also have a responsibility first and foremost towards the kids,” she said. “They are going through their formative years and everything else comes second to that.”

While fans often speculate about who Jolie may be dating, a source told PEOPLE in 2018 that she wasn’t interested in making romantic connections at the time. “She isn’t dating anyone and won’t be for a very long time. She is focused on her children and their needs,” the source said.

Prior to her relationship with Pitt, the actress was also married to her Pushing Tin costar Billy Bob Thornton from 2000 to 2003. In 2021, she was briefly linked to The Weeknd.

Most recently, Jolie was spotted having lunch with British environmentalist David Mayer de Rothschild in March 2023. However, a source later told PEOPLE that their lunch outing was for business purposes.

Here’s a look back at Angelina Jolie’s dating history.

Jonny Lee Miller