Hollywood’s hottest new couple have a lot in common.
They first sparked dating rumours in November last year, when it was reported that Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron had been going on secret rendezvous for almost a year.
“They meet up at luxury hotel suites around the world – London, Paris, even Beverly Hills – for dates … It’s given them time to get to know each other away from the spotlight,” an insider told Star magazine.
At the time, the pair were reportedly trying to keep their romance under wraps because Pitt, 55, allegedly feared his estranged wife, Angelina Jolie, might use it in court in a bid to win their custody battle.
Watch below: When Brad met Charlize…
The source added, “He’s been trying to keep it quiet for as long as possible. It’s not easy, though – he’s smitten and wants the world to hear about it.” And though they may have wanted to keep things private a bit longer, the whole world now knows of their romance, after the loved-up couple were spotted together at a bar in LA.
Pitt had attended a screening of If Beale Street Could Talk, while Theron, 43, was at a screening of Roma. A source told the UK Sun that after the viewing, Pitt met up with the Golden Globe-winning actress at Chateau Marmont in LA.
“Brad came over to Chateau afterwards, changed his outfit and joined Charlize in a corner of the bar.”
The insider added, “She was on a vodka cocktail, while he stuck to mineral water.”
The Fight Club star has reportedly been sober since his divorce.
In an interview with GQ in May 2017, he confessed that drinking had caused major issues during his marriage to Jolie. But according to The Sun’s source, Pitt was in high spirits in Theron’s company.
“Brad seemed in a really good place – they both looked really happy. They were ridiculously touchy-feely and his arm was around her back. At one point he winked at her.” The Sun’s source also revealed the duo were initially introduced by Theron’s ex-fiance, Sean Penn.
In 2011, Pitt and Penn both co-starred in the drama Tree of Life, and in March 2018, Pitt attended the launch party for his former colleague’s fiction book, Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff. After ending her relationship with Penn, Theron told The Wall Street Journal Magazine that despite being engaged, she and Penn weren’t that serious. “We were very, very new in a relationship. The stories that Sean was going to adopt Jackson, and all of that, [were] not true,” she said in 2016.
“It’s not something that happens in 18 months. You can’t do that to a child.” Speaking to WHO last year, Theron also revealed that she was getting back into dating since her children – daughter August, 3, and son Jackson, 6, who were both adopted – were getting a bit older. “With both of my kids, for the first two years, I had absolutely no interest in dating,” she says. “But now I am not dealing with diapers anymore, and I am so happy.”
Now, she may have found even more bliss with Hollywood heartthrob Pitt and, like the father-of-six, Theron is a single parent with adopted children. “They have been casually seeing each other for nearly a month now,” the source told The Sun. “They’ve been friends for some time – ironically through Sean – but things have developed.”
In 2018, the pair were both featured in an advertisement for Breitling watches, which the brand showed a sneak peek of in September. But a source reveals to WHO that the campaign was shot even earlier: “About six months ago, they did [the] shoot together,” the insider says. While it’s understood that Theron hasn’t met Pitt’s children – Maddox, 17, Pax, 15, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12 and 10-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox – she has crossed paths multiple times with both Jolie and Pitt’s previous wife, Jennifer Aniston. In fact, Theron and Jolie are reported to have an ongoing feud that dates back years.
In June 2017, Radar Online reported that Jolie was first choice to play Bride of Frankenstein in a film remake, with Theron as second option. An insider revealed to the publication that Jolie was holding off on signing the deal to deny Theron the option to take on other opportunities. “Angie hasn’t made a deal with Universal to do their next monster flick, but the offer’s still on the table. She could use the $20 million pay cheque,” the source said.
“She seems to enjoy sticking it to Charlize, who wanted to do this film and is convinced Angie stepped in to take it off her.”
The insider added, “The hate fest between these two started a long time ago and just won’t stop.” In contrast to the feud, Theron and Aniston are both close friends of TV host Chelsea Handler, and have formed their own bond over the years after Handler introduced them. They were spotted having a boozy night out together in 2012, joined by Handler and Aniston’s now ex-husband, Justin Theroux.
Aniston even sought adoption advice from Theron in the lead-up to her wedding with Theroux in 2013. “Jennifer has been quizzing Charlize about the adoption process – she’s seriously considering that as an option, given her age and the fact that Charlize says it’s the most rewarding thing she’s ever done,” a close source told Radar Online. Sources close to Pitt and Jolie revealed in November that the pair were working towards a custody settlement of their six children.
The insider added that they were hoping to reach an agreement outside of court to avoid going to trial. “Angelina isn’t seeking full custody [and] both parties continue to work together towards a settlement.” The pair are expected to reach an agreement by June 30 this year.