June 27, 2005
Just a few years ago, Angelina Jolie thought nothing of tongue-wrestling with Billy Bob Thornton on the red carpet and dishing up ickily intimate details about her sex life.
That was then.
Now, the sultry Oscar winner is far more cautious, and seems to be gently easing the public into her purported relationship with Brad Pitt by having him join in on wholesome outings with her 3-year-old son, Maddox.
Two months after an intense bidding war broke out for pictures of Angie, Mad and Brad building sandcastles on a Kenyan beach, a series of snaps has emerged of the three sharing playtime near Jolie's Buckinghamshire estate outside London.
The photos, published this weekend in Britain's News of the World (requisite punny headline: "Look Who's Playing Mummy and Braddy"), show a bare-chested, blindingly blond Pitt apparently teaching cute-as-a-button Maddox -- outfitted in an oversized helmet -- how to ride a dirt bike in a picturesque field as Jolie, clad all in black, looks on.
"They looked like a complete happy family and Brad seemed to love playing dad," a spywitness surmises to the paper.
As with the Kenya photos, there's no hint of affection between Pitt, 41, and Jolie, 30 -- they continue to act as if they're under court order to avoid contact. Still, it's a good bet these innocent images will help counterbalance their controversial 60-page pictorial in the July issue W magazine, in which they pose as sexy but ennui-filled suburban parents.
"The bond that is developing between Brad and Maddox is delightful to see," a "close friend" of the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" stars -- and a bystander to the two-wheeling fun -- gushes to London's Mail on Sunday (requisite punny headline: "Angelina's Boy... Out with His Mum and Brad"). "They spend a lot of time playing together and I'm not sure who enjoys their games more."
And just in case there was any doubt that the pulchritudinous pair have only the adorable tyke's best interests at heart, the chatty pal helpfully adds to the paper, "Maddox is so so precious to Angelina. She is a committed mother and it says much about her feelings for Brad that she trusts him so deeply with her son. As protective as she is, she's thrilled to see the little boy having such an exciting time."
Concludes the insider, who has quite the way with PR-friendly phrases, "All three are taking time, building a wonderful, loving relationship. Angelina and Brad are generous people, who give so much to others, and their friends wish them all the happiness in the world."
Despite the mounting photographic evidence (stubbornly PDA-free though it is), Brangelina have been careful to sidestep the pesky romance issue while promoting their hit spy flick.
When asked by Diane Sawyer about reports that Jolie was a factor in busting up his marriage to Jennifer Aniston (they split in January; she filed for divorce in March), Pitt responded, "It's a good story." As for the state of his current relationship with Angelina, Brad bobbed and weaved: "There's a lot still to, I guess, put into place . . . Listen, I don't know what the future is just yet."
Angelina, meanwhile, reiterated her earlier assertion that she doesn't have a taste for married men. "I wouldn't be attracted to a man who would cheat on his wife," she insisted to Ann Curry on the "Today" show. "Do I need to defend that I'm a decent woman? I sure hope I don't. I know I am."
And while Pitt has been quick to put the kibosh on chatter that his union fizzled because he wanted kids and Aniston didn't (he told GQ the rumors are "total bull****"), he's made no secret of his desire to become a dad, even hinting that he might follow in Angelina's footsteps and adopt.
Jolie, for her part, has been quoted as saying she's not only looking "for a man who would be the best father in the world," but someone who shares her "values and interests," specifically her do-gooder bent.
"I think the next man I get involved with would have to become Mad's father, and that's a high bar as far as I'm concerned," she recently told Marie Claire. "I'm not anticipating that coming any time soon."
And speaking of doing good, Us magazine reports that the newly humanitarian-minded Pitt will join Will Smith as co-host of the Philadelphia portion of the global LIVE 8 concert extravaganza, which seeks to raise awareness about poverty in Africa. The shows are set for July 2.