Despite the fact that both parties are adamant about the need to move on, the former couple remains embroiled in an acrimonious battle eight years after filing for divorce.
The Venice Film Festival commences the autumn season in grand style as celebrities travel to Italy to present their eagerly anticipated films, complete with gondolas and glamor. Angelina Jolie set off a significant amount of Oscar buzz when she tearfully accepted an eight-minute standing ovation following the premiere of the biopic Maria, which is about opera vocalist Maria Callas, on August 29.
When asked during a press conference how she identified with the legendary diva, Jolie, 49, replied that she related to the part of herself that is exceedingly soft and did not have the space in the world to be as soft and emotionally open as she truly was.
Three days later, Brad Pitt, 60, made his red carpet debut with his girlfriend of two years, Ines de Ramon, 34, to celebrate his new thriller Wolfs alongside longtime friend and costar George Clooney. This occurred well after Jolie had departed to attend the Telluride Film Festival.
Pitt and de Ramon, who have been staying together in Europe while the actor is filming his racing film F1, dined with Clooney and his wife, Amal, at Ristorante da Ivo the night before the premiere. They engaged in amusing conversations with their fellow diners. "His sidekick was Brad Pitt," according to a guest, as Clooney feigned to be a waiter. "Who will ever believe us?"
The well-organized, distinct presence at the festival could be interpreted as a master class in maintaining tranquility. It has been nearly eight years since Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt on Sept. 20, 2016, and the two have yet to finalize the details of their split. This is due to a contentious legal battle over the custody of their children, including Maddox, 23, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and 16-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. The two were ruled legally single in 2019.
A new public front in their war has been opened in the past few years by a separate court battle over Chateau Miraval, the French villa and winery they purchased in 2012 for an estimated $60 million. The heated legal filings reference Jolie's allegations of abuse against Pitt (he was not charged after an FBI investigation into a 2016 altercation on their private plane) and seek to uncover both of their nondisclosure agreements.
A source close to Jolie maintains that she finds the situation "incredibly sad," while a Pitt source maintains that "he's not rooting against" Jolie as the former couple rev up their careers with daring new films. Alberto Barbera, the artistic director of the festival, stated to the press that the events in Venice were "of course" dispersed, ensuring that they could not intersect.
Jolie filed for divorce days after the aircraft altercation, and the couple, who wed at Miraval in 2014 after a decade of marriage, have been living separate lives. Before the relationship reached its breaking point, it had been fraught for an extended period.
["One reason] was their frequent clashes over parenting their kids. Brad wanted a structured life for them with a set education curriculum. Angie wanted them all to find themselves and figure out what excited them and sparked passion. The kids are free-spirited, super smart, and artsy. Brad is very proud, though,” an unnamed source told PEOPLE Magazine.
Pitt adopted sobriety, while Jolie withdrew from the public eye following the separation in order to devote more time to the children.
“The divorce was a huge wake-up call to him,” an anonymous insider stated in 2020. “He went through a lot of self-examination, and he came out the other side,” another undisclosed informant claimed.
In 2019, he was awarded an Oscar for his role in "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood." He continued to work while visiting his children to the extent permitted by their custody agreement. Pitt has visitation with Vivienne and Knox, but he has "virtually no contact" with Shiloh and his other children, which "pains him," according to the tipster.
“All Angelina has ever wanted was separation and health, with positive relationships between all members of their, including Mr. Pitt,” Jolie’s attorney Paul Murphy said in May. “She just wishes he could move on and let them be,” a mole said.
The contentious backdrop to attempts to reach a divorce settlement and any closure for the exes is the bitterness over Miraval. Pitt, who is passionate about architecture and sculpture, is said to have renovated a significant portion of the estate to make it more child-friendly. This included the addition of a spa, pools, a home theater, and a dirt cycle training course.
In 2013, the couple established Miraval wineries, and the initial 6,000 bottles of rosé they produced were consumed within five hours. Pitt claimed in court documents that Jolie intentionally "sought to inflict harm on" him by selling her half of the wine company to the Stoli Group following their separation.
Pitt, who participated in a photo shoot with Clooney at Miraval to promote Wolfs, stated to GQ Magazine that his primary objective is to simply appreciate the company of those he cares about and to live life to the fullest. “I don’t know how to not sound cheesy about it, but just the air is fresh and grass is green, and I’ve just kind of become that guy a little bit,” the actor shared.
In 2022, Pitt began dating de Ramon, a jewelry executive who was previously married to actor Paul Wesley from "The Vampire Diaries." A source has stated that the two have maintained a relatively low profile in their relationship, but they are "serious." The source also mentioned that "things have been amazing since they moved in together" in Los Angeles.
Jolie, who has not been in a significant relationship since the split (a source denied a recent report that she was dating rapper Akala), is eager to depart Los Angeles, where she grew up as the daughter of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand.
“I have to be here from a divorce,” Jolie told The Hollywood Reporter. However, she intends to devote additional time to Cambodia, where she adopted Maddox in 2002 after their twins reached the age of 18.
“When you have a big family, you want them to have privacy, peace, safety. I have a house now to raise my children, but sometimes this place can be... That humanity that I found across the world is not what I grew up with here,” Jolie told THR.
According to a spy, the fact that the couple is still unable to resolve their divorce is "shocking" to those who are closest to them as the world awaits the conclusion of their split saga. At present, the primary concern is their children and the desire to "at least resolve the matrimonial side of things while the Miraval case plays out. I trust that they will be able to reach a mutual understanding,” an additional tattler said.
Business Times has reached out to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for comments.
