Billy Bob Thornton Tells the Unabridged Angelina Jolie Blood-Vial Story

Billy Bob Thornton is a terrific actor who has gone on to do great things with his career since his Oscar win (for 1996’s Sling Blade) and his romance with Angelina Jolie. Even so, the actor is continually pestered by press about the time of his life that he spent with Jolie, and their allegedly dark, mysterious lifestyle that involved jewelry containing human blood. The actor, who can currently be seen on FX’s Fargo, was even asked about that personal chapter during a college-campus discussion at Loyola Marymount University's School of Film & Television just last week. And Thornton, being a nice guy, obliged his curious audience with the most detail-laiden version of the Angelina Jolie blood-vial story we’ve ever heard.

In the hopes of getting Thornton’s exhaustive explanation out into the world, so that the actor can go on living his life, we’ve included it below. (Hat tip to the Hollywood Reporter for providing a transcription of the entire discussion here.)

Vial of blood is very simple. Angie came home one day with a kit she bought which is a. . .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 bought two of those. We were apart a lot because she's off making Tomb Raider and I'm making Monster’s Ball. We were on opposite ends, we see each other for two weeks and whatever. She thought it would be interesting and romantic if we took a little razorblade 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. Same thing. From that we were wearing quart jars of blood around our necks. [Laughter] And we were vampires and we lived in a dungeon.

Thornton said that he thinks everyone should be more truthful, explaining, “I think it’s your duty to kind of tell people the truth about this stuff and the truth is not encouraged anymore.” That being said, the actor has come up with a diversion tactic for journalists who cross into unprofessional territory and begin asking personal, insulting questions.

I say to [them], Well I wouldn’t know about that because, you know, I'm Benjamin Franklin. Then he goes, “You're Benjamin Franklin? You mean you're reincarnated?” I said, Well I don't know if you call it reincarnated, I'm Benjamin Franklin. I was Benjamin Franklin in 1776 and I'm Benjamin Franklin now. You know. The next thing you know you're Benjamin Franklin, you're a lunatic and you think you're Benjamin Franklin and he doesn’t understand that I'm saying dude, don’t ask me stuff like that because if you do I'm gonna tell you I'm Benjamin Franklin.

The takeaway here is that if Billy Bob Thornton starts identifying himself as Benjamin Franklin during your interview with him, you’ve crossed the line. And you’ve been warned.

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