Billy Bob Thornton truly opens up in what might be the most candid interview ever with GQ magazine.
The “Bad Santa 2” actor talks about everything from his ex-wife Angelina Jolie to My Little Pony and Komodo dragons.
Here are just five of the many things we learned about the star:
1. He thought Angelina Jolie was too good for him.
When asked about his two-year marriage to Jolie, the actor said, “I never felt good enough for her,” later adding, “I’m real uncomfortable around rich and important people.”
Thornton and Jolie officially divorced in 2003, but the actor revealed they’re still friends and even talk on occasion. Plus, Thornton still has a visible tattoo of Jolie’s name on his leg.
2. He thinks movie critics ruin everything.
Especially because of their not-so-great-track record with liking sequels.
“’Oh, my God, did you see ‘Joe Dirt 2?’ It’s atrocious.’ Who gives a shit? Then don’t go see it. Don’t write about it, you know?” Thornton said when talking about his upcoming film “Bad Santa 2.” “You take away people’s right to like what they want to like by influencing people who are very easily influenced.”
3. He thinks we’re all desensitized.
“People have made sure of that, that you can’t shock anybody anymore,” he said. “It’s not just because of movies and TV. It’s because of what’s happening in the world. It’s like, well, surely no one’s ever, like, killed a bunch of rabbits with a hatchet and then ate them in front of a group of kindergartners, and you look it up and, sure enough, somebody did it.”
(Surely we all felt the same about Donald Trump winning the presidency ― it was never going to happen ― yet here we are.)
4. He actually loves “My Little Pony.”
The actor explained that he used to watch the animated show with his daughter Bella, but she grew out of it. He, on the other hand, “longed to see it again” and found a new version of it to watch with his daughter.
Just read how he talks about one of the show’s story arcs:
This was amazing because the Mane Six ponies, who are the stars of the show, they go out there because Celestia, who runs Equestria, she will tell Twilight Sparkle she needs to go somewhere, but she doesn’t tell her why.” Bear with him, it’s worth it, I promise. “So anyway, suddenly they get captured by them and told that they have to remove their cutie marks and get equal signs. But they said, you know what? No. So Fluttershy, who is my favorite because she kind of talks like Marilyn Monroe, says, ‘Oh, yes.’” (He says this like Marilyn Monroe.) “Fluttershy acts like she wants to become a member, you know? And so they give her the cutie-mark equal-sign stamp and everything. And then she notices something, like it rains, and it washes off Starlight Glimmer’s equal sign, and she’s got her own cutie mark. So she’s like a Jim Jones cult, you know, right?”
5. You don’t want to ask him to sign your “Sling Blade” DVDs.
Especially after you’ve just seen him perform with his band, The Boxmasters.
To those people who do ask him to autograph their DVDs, he might have this to say: “Sure, I’ll sign your ‘Sling Blade’ DVD. And you can go home and fuck missionary like a metronome and never have an original creative idea in your life.”
Yeah, best to leave those DVDs at home.
You can read Thornton’s full interview by heading to GQ’s website.
Before You Go
