Billy Bob Thornton is amazed his recent radio outburst in North America became a major news item - because he always attacks interviewers who ask questions they've agreed not to ask.
The Oscar winner claims CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi had promised not to ask Thornton about his movie career during a live chat about his music and group The Boxmasters.
When the DJ questioned Thornton about how he finds time for music in between his acting jobs, the actor snapped, "Would you say that to Tom Petty?" and went on to blast his host for broaching subject matter the star had allegedly warned show producers was off-limits.
A confused Ghomeshi asked, "Are you reacting to the fact that I referred to you as an actor?" to which Thornton replied, "Yeah, I am, since you were instructed not to talk about s**t like that."
Ghomeshi apologised and the interview continued, but Thornton's rant became headline news - something that left the star baffled. He says, "The fact that that was news was astounding to me... but it gave humpbacked geeks all over the world something to do for a couple of days. I do that all the time - it's not the first time.
"I was doing a show in Germany one time... and this woman was told, 'Don't say this, don't say that,' which you have the right to do. If they look you in the eye and say, 'We promise,' then that's the deal. This woman said something that she wasn't supposed to say and I told her that I received signals from Venus through a metal plate in my head."
Thornton admits the media fuss about his CBC Radio rant prompted family and friends to call him and ask if he was OK. He adds, "I told a DJ to kiss my a**, that's all that happened. It's not like I got run over by a bulldozer."
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