Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt used to be one of Hollywood’s hottest couples back in the day. As such, fans wanted to witness the Oscar-winning couple bring some of that chemistry on screen as well. However, this did not turn out to be as easy as people thought it would be as they needed to make a lot of adjustments to fit their schedules.
The first time they collaborated though, was for Mr. and Mrs. Smith which was released back in 2005. Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston back then, though the relationship soon crumbled following the movie’s release. However, in a weird turn of events, even that movie almost didn’t feature Brangelina, as the movie’s director was set on switching out Jolie for one of Pitt’s exes.
That is, of course, none other than another Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow. The intentions behind trying to make the switch, though, were eccentric, to say the least.
Doug Liman wanted to switch Angelina Jolie with Gwyneth Paltrow
Mr. and Mrs. Smith told the story of an undercover assassin couple unaware of each other’s professions. While struggling with their failing marriage they get a new job of killing the assassin of a rival company, who they ironically find out are each other. The movie sheds light on them trying to keep their personal and professional lives separate, while also struggling to complete their missions.
And the choice for portraying that sensational couple became Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. However, it seems that Liman had his own ideas about the movie that did not really line up with Jolie as Mrs. Smith. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Liman admitted that he wanted to bring in Pitt’s ex Gwyneth Paltrow to play the role of his on-screen wife. He noted,
“Think of the spectacle of that. Fireworks could really fly in that situation. Because I’m sure there’s some s*** one of them was mad at the other one for. You find out what that baggage is and bring it out at the right moment, with the camera rolling.”
However, his producers allegedly immediately stopped him from going down that path. Liman explained, “My producers were like, Look, that’s a great idea. But Brad is a human being. Even if he was game for it, it’s wrong for us to put him in a situation where he’s going to have to relive the demons of a relationship. That’s just a little bit too mad scientist.”
And so, the plan was shelved. However, Paltrow was not the only ex of Brad Pitt that they were pitching for that role. From Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, and Catherine Zeta-Jones a lot of names floated around at the time according to Doug Liman. The unbeatable champion, though, remained Angelina Jolie.
Angelina Jolie and Doug Liman often butted heads
Angelina Jolie was already married twice before filming the movie. As such, she had her own ideas and perceptions about some scenes and the story which did not always were in line with the director. This inevitably led to arguments, and some of them were allegedly bad enough that Liman refused to direct some of her scenes.
Which, obviously, put Pitt on the director’s chair for those specific sequences. However, they seem to have resolved said conflicts as Jolie once commented on the topic saying, “Everyone has an opinion, but that’s healthy.” Jolie and Pitt also allegedly wanted to revisit their roles in the movie for a sequel.
According to them, they also asked people to look into it, however, as they never really turned up any original idea the plan was shelved. Speaking also on how there are things that being an off-screen couple limits your desire to portray on screen, she noted,
“When you’re a couple, there are certain things people don’t want to see you do. It becomes too indulgent, too personal. I don’t think people want to see people who are really together, intimate on screen.”
And so that dream became more and more far-fetched for them. However, they did eventually come together to bring Vanessa and Roland’s struggling marriage to the big screen in 2015’s By the Sea.
Strangely, though, that was the last time they ever shared a screen, and eventually separated in 2016. Although both seem to be doing quite well individually, it does not seem like there will ever come a day when fans will get to see them sharing the same screen together.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
