Angelina Jolie had a streak of hit action roles in the 2000s, which was accentuated by her role with future beau Brad Pitt in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The actors reportedly met and fell in love on the sets of the action thriller, bringing in the signature chemistry required for a married couple secretly working for rival spy agencies.
Though Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s chemistry in the film is unmatched, Jolie was not the first choice for director Doug Liman. In fact, Liman reportedly wanted to cast Pitt’s ex-girlfriend and Iron Man star Gwyneth Paltrow in the lead role as he felt that their being exes would bring in more passion and fire to the relationship shared by the characters.
Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt On The Sets Of Mr. & Mrs. Smith
The relationship between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie was widely speculated and was the subject of paparazzi material for months. Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time and was undergoing a divorce with the Friends star. However, Jolie and Pitt continued to be seen in public together, with neither acknowledging the relationship.
The publicity, however, reportedly impacted the shoot of the duo’s first film together, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Pitt and Angelina Jolie reportedly met on the sets of the film and fell in love. Both of them assured that no adultery was involved. However, during reshoots, paparazzi were following the couple everywhere and the production team had to ensure that the couple’s privacy was safe.
Director Doug Liman told EW the measures they took to keep photographers at bay,
“I’d be getting ready to shoot, and there’d be a crane where I’m pointing the camera. I’d be like, ‘Who put that there?’ Lucas [Foster] would say, ‘I’m not moving that crane. There’s photographers in that hotel room up there, and I’m blocking them.’ It became a constant thing of, we’re going to have to paint it out [with CG erasure tricks]. Ten grand a shot.”
Liman also mentioned that the production team had to be very careful while speaking on their walkie-talkies as well, as tabloids would be listening in on their frequency and any talk that could be misinterpreted was banned on set. Liman recounted an incident where a PA got into trouble for saying ‘Brad is screwing around with Angie’.
The PA reportedly meant that they were playing around with paddle balls in an IKEA-like store. But he reportedly got a shouting due to the words being misinterpreted by the paparazzi. The director also revealed that a photo of the couple was reportedly worth $300,000 and that the team really went out of their way to protect the couple’s privacy.
Doug Liman Wanted To Cast Gwyneth Paltrow Instead of Angelina Jolie
While the chemistry between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt was unmatched in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, director Doug Liman reportedly wanted to cast another actress instead of Jolie. Jolie was not the first choice while the action film was being developed, with Nicole Kidman and Pitt first attached to the script. However, Kidman reportedly dropped out of the project, with Pitt leaving straight after.
The makers wanted to cast Will Smith and Catherine Zeta-Jones for the film and even tried to pair up Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett. Brad Pitt recommitted to the film after Angelina Jolie was hired. After Pitt came back onboard, Liman revealed that he was considering casting Gwyneth Paltrow opposite Brad Pitt as they were exes.
Brad Pitt and Paltrow met on the sets of David Fincher’s Se7en and dated for three years. They were even engaged before calling it off soon after. The two were reportedly deeply in love but had real problems in their relationship. Liman reportedly wanted to take advantage of any past issues they had and bring them to their characters. He said,
“I had been interested in casting Gwyneth Paltrow opposite Brad Pitt. Because they’re really exes. Think of the spectacle of that. Fireworks could really fly in that situation. Because I’m sure there’s some s— one of them was mad at the other one for. You find out what that baggage is and bring it out at the right moment, with the camera rolling.”
While the producers thought that it was a great idea, Liman mentioned that they ultimately convinced him otherwise as it would be too inhuman for Brad Pitt to get to that space.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith is streaming on Netflix.
