Billy Bob Thornton reflected on the key to his successful relationship with his wife, Connie Angland.
The 69-year-old actor, who was previously married five times, wed Angland in October 2014, more than a decade after they first began dating.
During an interview with Fox News Digital June 7 at the Newport Beach TV Fest, Thornton shared his thoughts on the secret behind their enduring union.
“Connie and I have been together for 23 years, been married for 12, and our daughter is a great bond for us,” the “Landman” star said.
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“Our daughter Bella, she’s 20 now and going to Cal Poly up in the Central Coast,” he continued, referring to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California.
“So, I think that bond will always keep you happy together,” Thornton added.. “But, also, you have to be friends, and she and I’ve always been friends.
“I mean the whole romantic part of it has to be there, but at the base of it has to be a friendship, and we are friends.”
Thornton’s first marriage was to Melissa Lee Gatlin, whom he wed in 1978. The two, who share daughter Amanda Brumfield, divorced in 1980. In 1986, Thornton married actress Toni Lawrence, but the former couple separated a year later and finalized their divorce in 1988.
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In 1990, Thornton married actress Cynda Williams after the two met on the set of the movie “One False Move.” The two co-starred in the crime thriller, which also marked Thornton’s screenwriting debut. However, Thornton and Williams divorced in 1992.
Thornton and former Playboy model Pietra Dawn Cherniak tied the knot in 1993. The two welcomed sons William, 31, and Harry, 30, before divorcing in 1997.
Laura Dern and Thornton began dating in 1997, but their relationship came to an abrupt end when he secretly tied the knot with Angelina Jolie in 2000 after they co-starred in the 1999 movie “Pushing Tin.”
Thornton and Jolie’s highly publicized marriage came to an end in 2003. During a 2016 appearance on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s HFPA In Conversation podcast, Thornton explained that his union with Jolie didn’t last because they “just had different lifestyles.”
“Hers is a global lifestyle and mine is an agoraphobic lifestyle,” Thornton said. “So, that’s really … the only reason we’re probably still not together, you know, ‘cause [it was] just a different path and life we wanted to take.”
In addition, Thornton said aspects of his relationship with Jolie were “exaggerated” by the media, including the necklaces they notoriously wore containing each other’s blood.
“The necklaces were a very simple thing,” he explained. “‘Hey, let’s poke our finger with a pin and smear a little on there, and when we’re away from each other, we’ll wear the necklace.’ That was that easy, but by the time it came out in the press, it sounded like we were wearing a bucket of blood around our necks.”
However, Thornton and Jolie remained friends and have praised each other. Jolie told Entertainment Weekly in 2008 she was “proud to have been his wife for a time.”
In 2003, Thornton met Angland, who previously worked as a puppeteer and makeup and special effects artist on the set of “Bad Santa.” The couple began dating and welcomed Bella in September 2004.
During a 2008 interview with Maxim, Thornton shared that he would likely never marry again despite his happy relationship with Angland.
“I told Connie I didn’t want to put her through that,” Thornton explained. “We do fine. We’ve been together for four years now. We have a child together. If we get married, then the press will start calling her ‘No. 6.’”
However, Thornton and Angland secretly tied the knot at their Los Angeles home in October 2014, but their marriage was not made public until February 2015.
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During an October 2015 appearance on “The Late, Late Show with James Corden,” Thornton explained that he and Angland decided to marry for Bella.
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“We did for her, really,” he said. “Because, after a while, it was like, ‘Why aren’t my mommy and daddy married after 12 years?’
“The reason I didn’t want to is my marriages were always very short, and I don’t like to try to fix things that aren’t broken,” Thornton shared. “I said, ‘Look, I got a pretty bad record, and things are going fine.'”
Thornton spoke with Fox News Digital on the red carpet at the inaugural Newport Beach TV Fest. The festival was held over four days in Newport Beach, California, celebrating achievements in television at networks and on streaming platforms.
On June 7, the festival hosted an event in which the cast of Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ series “Landman” was honored with the award for TV performance of the year. Thornton, who stars as series lead Tommy Norris, was in attendance to accept the award along with his “Landman” co-stars Ali Larter, Andy Garcia and Jacob Lofland.
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“Landman” is set “deep in the heart of West Texas” where “roughnecks and wildcat billionaires try to get rich quick in the oil business as oil rigs begin to dominate the state.”
The show follows Norris, a petroleum landman and crisis executive, as he “tries to bring his company to the top during a fueling boom.”
“Landman,” which also stars Demi Moore, Jon Hamm and Michael Peña, premiered in November and became a major hit for Paramount+ and one of the most streamed shows on television. The series was renewed for a second season in March.
During his interview with Fox News Digital, Thornton reflected on how he felt about receiving the show’s accolade.
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“Anytime people recognize your work, it’s always an honor,” he said. “I mean, you can say, ‘Oh, awards don’t mean anything.’
“But, in your heart, it feels good because it shows that the people are with you,” he explained. “And so it warms our hearts to get this award in Newport.”
