Quote from Oladosun Joshua Segun on June 10, 2025, 8:30 AM

The behind-the-scenes story of Mr. & Mrs. Smith is just as intriguing as the film itself! The 2005 action thriller, directed by Doug Liman, famously brought Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie together, sparking widespread media attention. Originally, Nicole Kidman was set to play Jane Smith, but scheduling conflicts led to her departure, prompting Pitt to briefly leave the project as well.

The action movie, directed by Doug Liman, is a fun ride about married assassins who are not aware of each other's occupation until they are assigned to kill each other. Additionally, the idea was compelling enough to serve as the basis for the most current Amazon series of the same name, which starred Maya Erskine and Donald Glover.

Which, incidentally, did not hinder the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith made nearly half a billion dollars worldwide and everyone who took sides twenty years ago, complete with T-shirts and all, now understands that marriages and the reasons for their dissolution are complex issues.

However, Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were divorcing by the time the movie came out on June 10, 2005, and he was with Jolie in Ethiopia when she adopted her daughter Zahara a month later.

Needless to say, the headlines were somewhat dominated by all of that.

"I think we were both the last two people who were looking for a relationship. I certainly wasn’t," the January 2007 edition of Vogue included reflections of the then-divorced Jolie. "I was quite content to be a single mom with [son Maddox, whom she adopted in 2002]. And I didn’t know much about exactly where Brad was in his personal life. But it was clear he was with his best friend; someone he loves and respects. And so, we were both living, I suppose, very full lives."

"Not a lot of people get to see a movie where their parents fell in love," In 2008, Jolie told the New York Times that she was excited to show the movie to her six children, whom she and Pitt had by that time.

Naturally, the tone of family movie night has changed. The longstanding pair finally got married in 2014 because, according to Jolie, their children truly wanted them to, but two years later, she filed for divorce. In 2019, she and Pitt were formally proclaimed single, and they recently reached a divorce settlement in December.

Pitt recently told GQ, "I don’t believe it was that huge of a deal," regarding the most recent chapter in their tumultuous divorce story. "Just a project coming to life. Legally."

To think that Jolie was not originally intended to appear in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

The intensity of Mr. & Mrs. Smith wasn't just limited to its explosive action sequences—it extended behind the scenes as well. Jolie's daring stunt on the 40th floor was a testament to her fearless approach to acting, while the live ammo training underscored the commitment both actors had to their roles. Their undeniable chemistry not only elevated the film but also became one of the most talked-about off-screen romances in Hollywood history.