Juliette Lewis turned heads when she appeared at the 64th Annual Academy Awards Academy Awards in 1992 – with then-boyfriend Brad Pitt at her side – rocking cornrows. (See the couple together, HERE!)
During a visit to Access Hollywood Live on Thursday, the actress – currently starring in NBC’s upcoming drama, “The Firm” – remained tight-lipped on her former romance with Brad, but happily explained the reasoning behind her unique hair choice.
“I would like to discuss my hair because I thought I was a real renegade. And I still think I am,” Juliette told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover. “I think that’s bad ass! Who wears cornrows to the Oscars? I do.”
“How did that come about?” Kit asked. “Was Brad like, ‘Yes, the cornrows are it’?”
“I hung around kind of a rough crowd a couple of years prior and I thought cornrows was a sign of strength and beauty. It was as simple as that,” the 38-year-old — who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award that year for her role in “Cape Fear” — explained. “So that was my glamor ‘do… I just always marched to the beat of my own drum.”
While Juliette was reluctant to talk about her four-year relationship with the “Moneyball” star, she spoke of working with Brad’s ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston, on the 2010 comedy, “The Switch.”
“How close did you get with [Jen]?” Billy asked.
“Well, she’s a producer on the movie, so she had a lot to say on who was gonna play her BFF. What’s wonderful about her is she’s as lovely as you’d want her to be,” Juliette explained. “She just has no airs, and she’s very down to earth…
“No, we did not gossip [about Brad],” she added. “We’re grown women, so we just worked and hung out.”
After taking a hiatus from acting to focus on her music (she performed with rock band Juliette and the Licks until 2009), the actress is returning to TV with a role on NBC’s upcoming drama, “The Firm.”
Based on the classic John Grisham thriller, the series picks up 10 years after the book ends — with Mitch McDeere (played by Josh Lucas) finding himself hunted yet again after exiting the witness protection program – and Juliette says the show will not disappoint.
“We’re all kind of in love with each other as a cast,” Juliette – who plays Josh’s brother’s girlfriend on the show – told Billy and Kit. “It’s a really strong cast — a lot of suspense.”
Though the 1993 Tom Cruise-lead film version of the book was a blockbuster hit, the actress said the NBC version will differ from the movie.
“We’re sort of making our own interpretation of the original material,” she said.
Catch “The Firm” when it premieres on Sunday at 9 PM on NBC, before moving to its regular timeslot – Thursdays at 10 PM.
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