Brad Pitt and George Clooney rekindle their bond having drifted apart over a wedding snub and Angelina's 'rivalry' with Amal (as new interview features a subtle 'dig' at Jolie) Brad Pitt and George Clooney feature in the September issue of GQ READ MORE: Brad Pitt stages GQ photo shoot at the French winery he and Angelina Jolie are battling over in court By Eleanor Dye Published: 18:11, 14 August 2024 | Updated: 19:28, 14 August 2024 e-mail 29 shares 56 View comments They were once one of the film industry's famous friendships after starring in the Ocean's Eleven series together in the noughties and joining each other for numerous playful appearances on the red carpet. But after Brad Pitt failed to show up to George Clooney 's lavish Venetian wedding to Amal Alamuddin in 2014 - despite being relatively close by in Malta - rumours flew that the pair's bromance was no more. Academy Award-winner Pitt, now 60, had even been tipped to be his long-time co-star's best man, making the no-show even more questionable.
It was also rumoured that Brad's then-wife, actress Angelina Jolie , disliked Amal and felt that the human rights lawyer was her 'rival'. Although these reports were never confirmed, there certainly seemed to be a distance between the two women and the public-facing friendship between Brad and George has faded from view over the last 10 years. This week however the duo thrilled fans by making a rare joint interview with GQ , reflecting on their famous friendship - with Brad even admitting George, 63, is still his go-to person to call when 'things get bumpy'.
Brad Pitt and George Clooney's famous bromance seems to be back on after drifting apart. Pictured in May 2004 Now that 'Brangelina' are famously in the midst of a bitter divorce, it appears that George and Brad have been able to reignite their friendship once more. Brad even staged the GQ photoshoot with George at Château Miraval in Correns - the French winery at the centre of his three-year long legal battle with Angelina - perhaps in a subtle dig at his ex-wife.
Pitt, 60, and Jolie, 49, have been embroiled in a dispute over their co-ownership of the idyllic French winery, which they purchased while happily married in 2008, with the actor suing his ex-wife for selling her half to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler without his consent for $62 million in October 2021. In their chat with GQ - which featured chummy photos of the two chatting in their pyjamas and relaxing in a swimming pool - George had nothing but great things to say about his long time pal Brad, who stars with him in new action comedy film Wolfs. After making a joke about 'restraining orders', George told how the two 'check in on each' other every now and again, which is an 'important' part of friendship seeing how life can get 'complicated at times'.
Gushing about his friend, who starred in their first movie together Ocean's Eleven 24 years ago, Brad shared that George is the 'best at understanding', adding that he calls him on 'numerous occasions' when things get 'bumpy'. The stars have known each other since the 1990s, and Pitt said they have 'been through so much life at this point and so many twists and curves and turns. I know he's got my back.
I got his back.' The BFFs are believed to have met in 1991, when they both auditioned for the role of JD in Thelma & Louise. Rumours that the Hollywood Titans were no longer pals started flying when Brad failed to attend George and Amal's wedding in 2014, despite being tipped to be best man.
George and Amal pictured in 2023 It was said that Brad's then-wife Angelina was not a fan of Clooney's wife Amal. Brad and Angelina pictured in 2015 It seemed like their friendship was off to a rocky start, because Pitt won the role despite Clooney auditioning for it five times. The two starred in their first movie together 24 years ago in 2001's Ocean's Eleven, reuniting twice more in 2004's Ocean's Twelve and 2007's Ocean's Thirteen.
Their friendship bloomed both on and off set, frequently showing off their bond while on the red carpet to promote their films. They had a lot in common too - both men have won People's 'Sexiest Man Alive' cover twice - Brad in 1995 and 2000; George in 1997 and 2006. In 2002, Brad made a cameo in George's directorial debut Confessions Of A Serial Killer, with the latter reportedly paying him $20million to get him onboard, proving how much he valued him both as an actor and as a friend.
In 2008 they starred in Burn After Reading together - but little did fans know at the time that this would be their last film together for 16 years. They did however star in 8 - the 2012 play by Dustin Lance Black, that also featured Kevin Bacon and Jamie Lee Curtis. The pair were so close that Brad was even tipped to be the best man at George's wedding to stunning human rights lawyer Amal in 2014.
Angelina reportedly did not like Amal (pictured last year), with friends telling PageSix in 2018 that Angelina was 'insanely jealous' of her US actress Angelina Jolie, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) special envoy, gives a statement in Goudebou, a camp that welcomes more than 11,000 Malian refugees in northern Burkina Faso, on International Refugee Day The two (pictured left) starred in their first movie together 24 years ago in 2001's Ocean's Eleven They are now starring in Wolfs together - which has reignited their friendship Brad and George's GQ interview featured a subtle dig at Jolie, as the photoshoot was held in the vineyard they've been warring over for three years. Pictured: Chateau Miraval GEORGE CLOONEY AND BRAD PITT'S BROMANCE: A TIMELINE 1990s : George Clooney and Brad Pitt first meet. 1991 : George auditions for the role of JD in Thelma & Louise but Brad wins the role.
2001 : They star in their first movie together - Ocean's Eleven and its two sequels. 2002 : Brad makes a cameo in George's directorial debut, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, reportedly paying him $20million. 2008 : George and Brad star in Burn After Reading - their final film together until 2024.
2014 : Brad is tipped to be the best man at George and Amal's wedding. August: Brad and Angelina marry. September: George and Amal marry - Brad doesn't attend the wedding.
2016 : Angelia files for divorce from Brad citing 'irreconcilable differences'. George finds out about the divorce in an interview with CNN. 2024 : January: People magazine report that Brad and George are 'forever friends'.
August: George and Brad star in Wolfs and feature in joint interview with GQ. September: Wolfs due to be released in cinemas - with a sequel optioned for the future. Advertisement Ahead of the wedding, the star's aunt Starla Clooney told MailOnline she thought Brad would be the likely choice for the best man - and that George was likely to pick one of his acting friends rather than a family member.
She said: 'I would say he'd choose Brad Pitt for his best man. They are good friends, I would think that's who he'd choose.' But in the end Rande Gerber - who is married to Cindy Crawford and co-founded Tequila brand Casamigos with the actor - was Clooney's best man at the lavish wedding in Venice.
Fans were shocked at the perceived wedding snub - and even more so when it emerged that Brad hadn't attended the nuptials of his alleged best friend at all. It was later revealed that Brad had been too busy filming The Sea with then-wife Angelina Jolie and the shooting date had clashed with the wedding - despite being relatively close by in Malta. Speaking to Access Hollywood afterwards, Brad seemed to take a relaxed attitude to missing his best friend's big day, explaining that he still needed to buy him a gift: 'We were filming in Malta.
[Did I send a gift?] I still owe him something.' Many believed that the real reason was reported tension between Brad's long-term partner Angelina and George's new bride. Angelina and Amal seemed like obvious friends with a shared interest in human rights.
Brad and George had starred in multiple films together and made cheery appearances on the red carpet. Pictured in June 2007 But sources also told The Sun that there was an intense 'rivalry' between the two, despite the closeness of their husbands. Angelina reportedly did not like Amal, with friends telling PageSix in 2018 that Angelina was 'insanely jealous' of Amal 'because she believed Amal has stolen her identity' as world's most glamorous humanitarian.
A source told the website: 'Angelina hates all the attention that Amal is getting — she's beautiful, she's smart, she's stylish, she has a beautiful family and she's doing important human rights work. Jolie runs two charitable foundations - the Jolie-Pitt foundation and the Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation. Meanwhile, Amal is an international human rights lawyer and set up the Clooney Foundation to work against injustice in 2016 with her husband - and both have made speeches at the UN.
While it's impossible to say whether Angelina saw Amal as competition, what is clear is that the two women did not appear to form a bond. Angelina has often spoken about how she lacks close friends and that her 'kids' -Maddox, Zahara, Pax, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne - are the only friends she needs. 'My children have always been my close friends,' Angelina Jolie said in an interview in 2021.
Rande Gerber was chosen as Clooney's best man - despite rumours it would be Brad Pitt. Pictured: Gerber, Cindy Crawford and Clooney in September 2023 Rande Gerber, Cindy Crawford, Amal Clooney, and George Clooney pictured in 2018 And in December she told WSJ magazine she doesn't 'really have..
. a social life'. She was never photographed with Amal, despite their husbands' closeness - even when they attended the global summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London in 2014.
The event took place shortly after Amal's engagement to George was announced, but she attended separately to Brad and Angelina - who did pose for pictures with Wililam Hague. Brad and Angelina, who famously met while filming Mr & Mrs Smith in 2005 when he was married to Friends' actress Jennifer Anniston, married in 2014 but divorced in 2016. After two years of marriage and 11 together in total, Jolie filed for divorce, citing 'irreconcilable differences'.
A statement released at the time said: 'This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time.' Now, five of Brad and Angelina's six children appear to be estranged from him including his daughters Zahara, 19; Shiloh, 18; and Vivienne - who've all publicly dropped his surname Pitt from their names.
According to claims Jolie made in court documents, Pitt reportedly got into a physical altercation with his son Maddox, 23; aboard a private jet in 2016 and his son Pax, 20. Brad is now said to be dating his much younger girlfriend Inés-Olivia de Ramon - jewellery designer who's said to be 34. Actors Brad Pitt, left, and George Clooney greet supporters Tuesday June 5, 2007 outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles In 2016, an interview between Clooney and CNN seemed to show just how far apart he'd grown from his former co-star.
When the interviewer asked for his thoughts on news of the Brangelina divorce, a startled Clooney just responded: 'What happened?' After being filled in, he said: 'I didn't know that, wow. I feel very sorry then. That's a sad story and unfortunate for a family.
I feel very sorry to hear that. That's the first I've heard of it.' Brad and Angelina also have an ongoing legal dispute over their French winery - with Brad choosing to host his GQ photoshoot with George Clooney there this week.
George's wife Amal arrived at the shoot to compliment the two-time Oscar winner on his 'amazing' property: 'The kids were like, "Is this all the same house?''.' Matt Damon, George Clooney, Brad Pitt in Ocean's Thirteen, 2007 Rumours that Brad and George had rekindled their friendship soon spread after it was announced they would be starring in Wolfs together, which is released in September. However, in a 45-second trailer for the film, the two actors did not say a single word to each other.
Yet earlier this year, a source told People Magazine this year that 'Brad and George are forever friends' and were 'happy to work together' on Wolfs - meaning their bromance seemed very much back on. Wolfs sees the pair portray two stubborn 'lone wolf' professional fixers - whose lives are upended when they are assigned the same job. Along with starring at the top of the marquee, the two leading men are also serving as producers under Clooney's Smokehouse and Pitt's Plan B, along with Watts, and Dianne McGunigle, Grant Heslov, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner.
And it has already been confirmed that it has been optioned for a sequel , meaning fans can expect to see much more of Brad and George together in the near future. Share or comment on this article: Brad Pitt and George Clooney rekindle their bond having drifted apart over a wedding snub and Angelina's 'rivalry' with Amal (as new interview features a subtle 'dig' at Jolie) e-mail 29 shares Add comment.
