If you were around in the late 90s, you remember the posters. Brad Pitt, sporting those perfectly highlighted blond tips, staring intensely into the eyes of Claire Forlani. It was the era of Meet Joe Black. 1998 was a weird, transitional year for Hollywood, and this movie was at the center of it.
But for a lot of people, the three-hour runtime of the film wasn't the talking point. It was the chemistry.
You know that feeling when you're watching two people on screen and you just know something is happening behind the scenes? That was the vibe. And honestly? The rumors weren't just tabloid filler. Brad Pitt and Claire Forlani actually did have a thing. It was brief. It was intense. And then, almost as quickly as it started, it was over.
The Meet Joe Black Spark
Let's be real: Meet Joe Black is a polarizing movie. Some people find it a beautiful meditation on life and death. Others think it’s a bloated mess that takes way too long to get to the point. Brad Pitt himself has been pretty open about his feelings on it lately. He’s gone on record saying he felt he "dogged it" or lacked direction during that shoot.
But even if Brad wasn't feeling his performance, the world was feeling the connection between his character, Joe Black (who is literally Death in a human suit), and Claire Forlani’s Susan Parrish.
They met on set in 1997. Filming was grueling. We’re talking about a $90 million production that took months to wrap. When you're spending that much time in close quarters, playing lovers in a high-stakes drama, lines get blurred.
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Why the Chemistry Felt So Real
A lot of the "is-it-real" buzz started with that famous coffee shop scene. It’s arguably the best part of the movie. Brad and Claire meet, they flirt, they have this incredibly natural back-and-forth.
- The Look: People pointed to the way Forlani looked at Pitt. It didn't feel like "acting" anymore.
- The Public Appearances: They didn't just hide on set. By 1998, they were showing up to events together.
- The Timing: Brad had recently ended his high-profile engagement to Gwyneth Paltrow. He was single, he was the biggest star in the world, and Forlani was the rising "it-girl."
The 50th Annual Writers Guild Awards Moment
If you want the "smoking gun" for this relationship, you have to look at the photos from the 50th Annual Writers Guild of America Awards in 1998.
They arrived together. They weren't just "co-stars promoting a movie." They were holding hands. They looked like a couple. Brad was in his peak 90s style—shades, slightly messy hair—and Claire looked every bit the classic Hollywood starlet.
It’s one of the few times they were caught being overtly "together" in public. For a brief window in early 1998, Brad Pitt and Claire Forlani were the couple everyone was watching.
Why Did It End So Fast?
If they were so into each other, why did it vanish?
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The simple answer is Jennifer Aniston.
1998 was a massive year for Pitt's personal life. He went from the breakup with Gwyneth to this short-lived, intense romance with Forlani, and then... he met Jen. They were set up on a blind date by their agents in the spring of '98.
The Brad and Claire flame just sort of flickered out as the Aniston era began. It wasn't a scandalous breakup. No one was throwing plates. It was just one of those "right person, wrong time" situations that happens in Hollywood constantly.
What People Get Wrong About Them
A lot of fans think they were together for years. They weren't. It was likely less than a year, mostly centered around the production and release of their film.
Another misconception? That Claire Forlani "disappeared" after the relationship. Not true at all. While she didn't become a tabloid staple like Brad's later partners, she had a rock-solid career.
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- Mystery Men (1999): She jumped straight into this cult classic.
- CSI: NY: She had a long, successful run as Dr. Peyton Driscoll.
- Industry: Fast forward to 2026, and she’s still working in high-caliber television like the HBO hit Industry.
The Legacy of a 90s Romance
Looking back, the Brad Pitt and Claire Forlani era represents a specific moment in time. It was the last gasp of "old school" Hollywood mystery before the internet made it impossible for stars to have a quiet five-month fling without the whole world knowing every detail.
Forlani eventually found lasting love with actor Dougray Scott—they’ve been married since 2007. Brad, well, we all know how his story went.
If you’re revisiting Meet Joe Black today, you’ll notice that despite the movie's flaws, the romance holds up. It’s probably because, for a few months in the late 90s, those feelings weren't just in the script.
To see more of Forlani's recent work, you should check out her performance in the latest season of Industry on Max, where she proves she’s still one of the most compelling screen presences around. If you're a Pitt completionist, re-watching the coffee shop scene in Meet Joe Black is a must—it's the clearest evidence of why this short-lived romance captured everyone's imagination in the first place.