D
ating hasn’t been at the forefront
of Brad Pitt’s mind since his
bitter split from Angelina
Jolie more than a year ago.
He was briefly linked to Sienna
Miller and whispers swirled
that he and Kate Hudson had hooked up,
but nothing has stuck. ‘He’s taking things
as they come,’ a well-placed insider close
to the actor tells OK!. ‘He hasn’t wanted to
get serious with anyone.’
Until now. Brad, 53, has fallen for British
actress Ella Purnell – who, in an ironic
twist, played a young Angelina in 2014’sMaleficent. In fact he’s so enchanted, the
source tells OK!, that he cast her in his
upcoming series Sweetbitter.
Blown away by Ella’s work in 2016’s
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
and this year’s Churchill, he jumped at
the chance to work with Ella when his
production company, Plan B, began to
develop the drama, based on a novel
about a New York City waitress.
‘Brad had Ella in mind from the get-go.
He went out of his way to cast her,’ the
insider tells us. ‘Ella is incredibly flattered
by all the attention she’s getting from
Brad. She’s told friends he’s always been
her number-one celebrity crush.’Earlier this year, Ella, 21, was spotted getting
‘very close’ to Spider-Man: Homecoming star
Tom Holland at a BAFTAs afterparty in
London, although the chance of a romance
blossoming between the Chanel muse and
the British actor fizzled.
As for Angelina, Brad and Ella’s flirtatious
relationship has her seeing red! ‘She’s furious
about Brad’s interest in Ella and her being
cast in Sweetbitter,’ the insider reveals to
OK!. ‘She absolutely hates that Brad is
cavorting with someone who played the
teenage version of her in a film.’
Naturally, Ella’s talent was behind Brad’s
desire to work with the beautiful Brit, but he
soon found there’s more to the accomplished
actress than her talent and beauty. Adding
salt to Ange’s wounds, her look-alike has a
passion for helping the less fortunate – did
someone say Angelina 2.0? Ella works with
Educate2Eradicate, a charity that raises
awareness of forced marriages and violence
against women.
It’s easy to understand Brad’s attraction.
‘He’s taken with Ella’s spunky, funny
demeanour and formidable acting skills,’
the insider tells OK!. ‘Although Brad’s been
working on his sci-fi space travel film
Ad Astra, he’s been checking in with Ella
weekly as she preps for production...
He’s sure it’s going to be a hit and that it’s
going to make Ella a star.’
And while things may remain platonic
between the pair at the moment, our well-
placed insider predicts that won’t last long,
revealing ‘it’s only a matter of time’ before the
smitten duo take things ‘to the next level’.PHOTOGRAPHS BY BACKGRID, WENNSHE’S ANGE 2.0!
THE STAR CERTAINLY
HAS A TYPE –
BRUNETTE, BOLD
AND BEAUTIFUL!
HE’S TAKEN WITH
ELLA’S SPUNKY,
FUNNY DEMEANOUR
AND ACTING SKILLS
SISTER FUN
VIVIENNE’S
DRESSING
LIKE SHI!
Angelina Jolie once described her
youngest daughter Vivienne as a ‘girly
girl’, but now it looks like she’s taking
fashion cues from her tomboy big sister
Shiloh! ‘She is so elegant and delicate. Vivi
will pick flowers from the garden and put
them in her hair,’ Ange once said of her
nine-year-old mini-me. ‘She likes to get her
nails done... it’s very funny for me to have
to buy all things pink and watch princess
movies.’ But times have changed! There
wasn’t a freshly picked flower or a drop
of pink in sight when Vivienne and Shiloh,
11, went shopping in LA on October 15.
In fact, it looks like Viv has helped herself
to some of Shi’s hand-me-downs!(^) OCTOBER 30, 2017 1 3
Viv knows the
best part of
having a sister
is being able
to raid her
wardrobe!
Ange is livid that
Brad has set his
sights on a younger
version of herself