Publications
Partners
Berlin - Billy Bob Thornton put paid to assumptions of bad blood with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie on Monday, saying he would "love her until the end of my life" and hoped to see her at the Berlin film festival.
Thornton, who premiered his new film Jayne Mansfield's Car at the event, said Jolie, 36, remained one of his closest confidantes despite their divorce in 2003 after three scandal-tinged years of marriage.
Asked whether he would see his ex-wife, who presented her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey at a special screening at the festival, Thornton, 56, refused to be drawn.
"Here's the fact of the matter: any time you're in a high-profile relationship, you know that that question is going to come up forever, and so if you want the honest-to-God truth, here's the truth: Angelina's a wonderful woman and one of my best friends in the world," he said.
Against each other
"When people split up, people like to make up stories about how they are against each other. Well, this was never true, it never has been and never will be, and I'll love her until the end of my life and she'll love me - as friends."
Thornton, who once swapped blood with Jolie to wear in vial-pendant necklaces, said he was also close to Jolie's partner Brad Pitt and their six children.
"Brad is a friend of mine, he's a great guy. I love them both, I love their children and they love mine," said Thornton, who has four children from other relationships.
"And in terms of meeting her at the festival, she's been very busy, I've been very busy. We were both excited when we heard that we were going to be here and then we were even more excited when we found out that one of us was in the competition and one was a special premiere.
"We haven't seen each other so far, but I'm sure we will this afternoon."
The Berlin film festival runs until Sunday.
