Billy Bob 'sorry' for Angie

Los Angeles - Billy Bob Thornton feels sorry for his ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

The Monster's Ball star is grateful he doesn't have to endure the media frenzy which surrounds Jolie and her lover Brad Pitt.

He said: "I do feel sorry for Angie and Brad. The only time you hear about me is when I've got a movie coming out and I like it like that. They have to cope with it all the time."

Thornton and Jolie remain close despite divorcing five years ago citing "irreconcilable differences".

The 52-year-old actor also considers her new partner Pitt a good friend.

He said: "I'm still close to Angie but Brad's a friend too. We've known each other for years."

Jolie and Thornton adopted a son, Maddox, from Cambodia six months before their marriage broke up in 2002, but Pitt has since become the child's adoptive father.

Thornton is set to star in movie Peace Like a River, on which Pitt will be a producer.

Based on the novel of the same name by Leif Enger, the film will see Thornton play a janitor in 60s Minnesota, who is secretly capable of performing miracles and brings his still-born child Ruben back to life.