The Hollywood spotlight often shines on celebrity affairs, but the pain and consequences are not always evenly distributed.
In the past, affairs involving Stanley Tucci and Jean-Claude Van Damme have caused damage and left hurt parties behind.
One such case is the affair between Laura Dern, a veteran of Jurassic Park, and Billy Bob Thornton.
Dern was engaged to Thornton when he unexpectedly left her to marry Angelina Jolie while she was away for work.
Let's delve into this infamous affair and examine how Laura Dern was left feeling alone and betrayed, while Thornton and Jolie became the new power couple in Hollywood.
Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie had a highly publicized and surprising marriage that captured the media's attention years ago.
Their relationship seemed to be featured in every publication known to man.
According to Ranker, the unlikely union between Thornton and Jolie may have been sparked by their involvement in the film “Pushing Tin.”
At the time, both actors were already in relationships – Thornton with his fiancée Laura Dern and Jolie with fellow actor Timothy Hutton.
Jolie had recently ended her marriage with actor Johnny Lee Miller.
In the following year, Thornton and Jolie eloped and got married in Las Vegas.
The ceremony was described as casual, with Jolie opting for a simple look without too much fanfare.
This unexpected union sent shockwaves through the industry, with tabloids working overtime to cover the new celebrity couple.
However, amidst the frenzy, Laura Dern was left picking up the pieces.
At the time of Thornton and Jolie's marriage, Billy Bob was still engaged to Dern.
Instead of ending things and moving on, he chose to marry someone else while she was away working on a movie.
Dern expressed her shock and pain, stating, “I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I've never heard from him again.”
The lack of closure or clarity added to her heartbreak.
Being cheated on is already devastating, but having your fiancé marry someone else during your absence takes the betrayal to another level.
To make matters worse, Dern had to witness the new couple's constant media coverage wherever she went.
There was no escaping the reminders of her pain.
Before this incident, Dern and Thornton had been together for several years after meeting on the set of Ellen.
They had both recently come out of previous relationships and eventually became engaged.
Years later, the pair had an uncomfortable encounter during an award event in 2017.
Thornton walked past Dern, who chose to look away.
This moment was captured on camera and caused quite a stir on the internet.
Time may heal wounds, but it is understandable that Dern wanted nothing to do with the person who caused her immense public pain.
Jolie and Thornton eventually split, citing different lifestyles as a reason for their separation.
Thornton reflected on their time together, saying, “I remember our time together as really being great.
We just had different lifestyles.
Hers is a global lifestyle and mine is an agoraphobic lifestyle.
So, that's the only reason we're probably not still together, maybe, because of a different path in life we wanted to take,” according to E!
Online.
Jolie would go on to disrupt Brad Pitt's marriage to Jennifer Aniston before marrying and divorcing the movie star.
Thornton, on the other hand, remarried in 2014.
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