Blast from the past! Gwyneth Paltrow and former fiancé Brad Pitt reflected on their relationship in a rare interview, proving friendly exes aren’t a thing of the past.
The twosome reminisced on their romance while discussing the 58-year-old actor’s involvement in God’s True Cashmere, a new Goop favorite. The interview, which was published on Tuesday, June 14, quickly shifted focus from business to friendship as Paltrow, 49, brought up her late father, Bruce Paltrow.
“I’ll never forget when we were engaged and he came to me one day, his eyes full of tears, and he said, ‘You know, I never really realized what they mean when they say you’re gaining a son. Like, I’m gaining a son,'” the Country Strong actress recalled of her father, who died of complications from oral cancer and pneumonia in 2002.
Gwyneth went on to ask Pitt, “What impact did [Bruce] have on you? Why did you love him, even though we didn’t get married, unfortunately.”
The Fight Club star and the Goop founder got engaged after sparking their romance in 1994, calling it quits in 1997. As Pitt mused that “everything works out” the way it’s supposed to, Gwyneth jokingly replied with a reference to her husband, Brad Falchuk. “Yes, it does,” she said. “I finally found the Brad I was supposed to marry. It just took me 20 years.”
Though Pitt and Gwyneth’s engagement didn’t pan out, the pair are happy with where they stand. “It’s lovely to have you as a friend now. … And I do love you,” Pitt gushed. The Royal Tenenbaums actress chimed in, “I love you so much.”
Pitt went on to tell his former flame that her late father “did have a profound effect” on his own perspective as a parent to his six children with Angelina Jolie: Maddox, 20, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, Shiloh, 16, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 13.
“He carved the way for you guys to be who you are. And I think that’s so important to parenting, you know? So the child is free to find out who they are and what they love and what they don’t,” the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor continued. “You guys were just so free in your conversations. And witty. And intelligent. And funny as f–k.”
The Oklahoma native added, “That man was funny. He was funny. And you guys were so funny together, ripping across the table, which was a rarity that I hadn’t experienced much, and I loved it. The fun you guys had was infectious. You could just see just how much he adored you.”
Pitt told Gwyneth that he “one hundred percent” felt a paternal energy from Bruce, who he viewed as “a coach or a mentor.” The Politician star responded, “He loved being that role for the people that he really loved, and you were definitely one of them.”
Following her split from the Twelve Monkeys actor, Gwyneth went on to wed Chris Martin in 2003, with whom she shares daughter Apple, 18, and son Moses, 16. The duo announced their “conscious uncoupling” in 2014, finalizing their divorce two years later. She wed Falchuk, 51, in September 2018.
The Golden Globe winner, for his part, was married to Jennifer Aniston from 2000 to 2005, the same year he began dating Jolie, 47. The Mr. and Mrs. Smith costars tied the knot in August 2014, with the philanthropist filing for divorce in September 2016. They remain in a legal battle over custody of their minor children.
