Angelina Jolie being consoled by Johnny Depp as she starts £300m divorce fight with Brad Pitt
The two are said to have first hit it off while filming in 2009 and have stayed in touch since
ANGELINA Jolie is being consoled by Johnny Depp as she prepares for a bitter £300m divorce battle with Brad Pitt, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
Sources close to Angelina say the actress, who starred alongside troubled Johnny in 2009 film The Tourist, has remained close to him ever since.
And after she stood by him during his break-up with estranged wife Amber Heard, he is now said to be supporting her after her marriage collapsed.
And mum-of-six Angelina hired his divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser, to fight her case in court after Johnny stepped in to recommend her services.
One source said: “Angelina idolised Johnny for years before she worked with him on The Tourist, and then the pair of them really hit it off on set.
“There were rumours then that she was tempted by him, because it was around then she told a magazine fidelity wasn’t ‘absolutely essential.’
“With both Brad and Johnny’s then wife Vanessa Paradis on set, nothing was going to happen.
“But the two of them have stayed in touch ever since then, and spoke regularly during the storm that surrounded Johnny’s break up with Amber.
“There’s no suggestion that their closeness played any part in Angelina and Brad’s split.
“But they have been speaking about the situation, and Angelina hired Johnny’s lawyer to represent her based on the advice that he has given her.
“Her friends are now speculating about what could happen between them if she and Brad are not reconciled and their divorce goes through.”
Angelina’s decision to file for divorce this week ended the biggest Hollywood relationship of its generation and sent shockwaves across the world.
The 41-year-old dumped Brad, 52, amid allegations of an affair with his Allied co-star Marion Cotillard, partying with Russian hookers, drug and alcohol abuse, and bust-ups over their kids.
And the drama took another toxic turn amid claims that the film heart-throb “got physical” with son Maddox during a furious bust-up on a private jet.
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But while Angelina is telling pals his behaviour was “beyond the pale”, her brother James Haven is desperately trying to keep the family together.
And he is believed to be aided by Brad’s mum Jane in his efforts to bring about reconciliation.
A second source said: “Angelina has always had a softer spot for Maddox, as her first child, and he is often indulged and allowed to do what he wants.
“When Brad lost it with him, it was the last straw for her, and she filed for divorce within hours. She has told those close to her that Brad hit him.
“But not everyone in Team Jolie wants this to be the end of the road.
“Jamie – who often acts as a super nanny for the kids – is trying hard to patch things up, and Jane, who is a marriage counsellor, is also helping.
“Reconciliation is looking more unlikely by the day, but they believe it isn’t impossible.
“The biggest problem in their path is that Angelina seems to have become bored with Brad.
“She seems anxious to move on, which means a permanent reconciliation is very much in doubt.
“She has also been telling people that she plans to have her tattoo dedicated to Brad - the words ‘Whiskey Bravo’ on her upper right thigh – removed.”
It is understood that visible cracks in Brad and Angelina’s relationship first appeared in 2009, while she was filming movie Salt in New York.
And another source told how the pair, who had rented a house in Oyster Bay on Long Island for the whole family, clashed furiously during the stint.
They said: “Brad was tasked with looking after the kids while was on set in a physically demanding role as a CIA agent, but one night Angelina arrived home unexpectedly.
“When she walked through the door, she found chaos, the kids causing mayhem, the TV blaring, while Brad was upstairs, beer in hand, slumped on the bed.
“She gave him hell, shouting: ‘Will you please respect the fact that I am working right now?’ she said.
‘All you have to do today is watch the kids.
‘Will you please do it?’
“At the time, Angelina dismissed what had happened, but now it seems she was just covering up.
“Brad had previously infuriated her by having an all-night bender with Quentin Tarantino, which saw them drink rose wine and smoke pot all night.
“They ended up declaring eternal friendship, but Angelina wasn’t happy.”
The source went on: “Brad was the one initially who wanted a soccer team of children, but he has wanted to be a father while also living his life.
“And at times being a dad of six has been overwhelming for him. He occasionally has the look of a man who hailed a cab and was hit by six trucks.
“But he does love the kids, and is devastated by the thought that he might not be able to see them.”