Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt broke up in 1997, but the pair have remained close friends. How close? They still say “I love you” to each other.
In a recent interview for her Goop website, Paltrow, who also founded the lifestyle brand of the same name, spoke to Pitt about his new clothing line with business partner Sat Hari Khalsa.
But, the two ended up reminiscing about the significance of their previous relationship.
During the conversation, Pitt mentioned that Paltrow’s late father, Bruce, helped him discover a need for “softness” in his life when he and Paltrow dated from around 1994 to 1997.
While being around Paltrow and her father, the “Bullet Train” star, 58, said he learned about cashmere and different types of wines and unlocked his “luxury gene.”
In honor of Father’s Day, Paltrow, 49, brought up her father again later in their conversation.
She told Pitt, “I’ll never forget when we were engaged and he came to me one day, his eyes full of tears, and he said, ‘You know, I never really realized what they mean when they say you’re gaining a son. Like, I’m gaining a son.’”
The couple got engaged, but they ultimately decided to break up.
Paltrow asked her ex-fiancé what impact her father, who died in 2002, had on Pitt.
She playfully added, “Why did you love him, even though we didn’t get married, unfortunately?”
Pitt laughed and replied, “Yeah, right. Oh man, everything works out, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does. I finally found the Brad I was supposed to marry,” the “Shakespeare in Love” actor quipped, referring to her husband, Brad Falchuk, whom she married in 2018. “It just took me 20 years.”
Speaking about his current relationship with Paltrow, Pitt shared, “And it’s lovely to have you as a friend now.”
After Paltrow agreed, he continued, “And I do love you.”
She returned the sentiment and said, “I love you so much.”
Despite briefly getting sidetracked, Pitt then answered her original question about his connection with her father, who was a director and producer.
He pointed out that Paltrow and her father shared the same voice and independence. Pitt also applauded her dad for raising his children to be who they wanted to be.
“And I think that’s so important to parenting, you know?” the father of six explained. “So the child is free to find out who they are and what they love and what they don’t. You guys were just so free in your conversations. And witty. And intelligent. And funny as f---.”
Paltrow wondered if Pitt felt “paternal energy” from her dad.
Pitt responded, “One hundred percent. I felt that same kind of guidance that you would get from a coach or a mentor.”
She also referred to her father as a mentor and praised him.
“He loved being that role for the people that he really loved, and you were definitely one of them,” she concluded.
Although Paltrow and Pitt have not been in a relationship for decades, they have publicly spoken highly of each other for years.
In 2015, Paltrow visited “The Howard Stern Show” and opened up about why their engagement ended.
They appeared in sync with their matching haircuts, but she said the timing wasn’t right.
“I was such a kid — I was 22 when we met,” she explained. “It’s taken me until 40 to get my head out of my a--. You can’t make that decision when you’re 22 years old. … I wasn’t ready, and he was too good for me.”