Brad Pitt defends Angeline Jolie and calls ex-wife Jennifer Aniston a "sweetheart" in the February issue of W magazine. While promoting his latest movie, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the 45-year-old actor is determined to set the record straight on the alleged rumors he and Jolie had an affair while filming "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" — while still married to Aniston. Pitt reportedly says to W:

What people don’t understand is that we filmed [Mr. & Mrs. Smith] for a year. We were still filming after Jen [Aniston] and I split up. Even then it doesn’t mean that there was some kind of dastardly affair. There wasn’t. I’m very proud of the way that it was handled. I was respectful.

Aniston may disagree with how the situation was handled. She recently said it was "uncool" of Jolie to disclose details of their romance while they were still married. But Brad downplayed the recent mudslinging. The "A List" actor says:

Listen, man, Jen is a sweetheart. I think she got dragged into that one, and then there’s a second round to all of that Angie versus Jen. It’s so created. We still check in with each other. She was a big part of my life, and me hers. I don’t see how there cannot be [that]. That’s life, man. That’s life.

Click here to read more of the W interview. The issue hits stands January 20.

It seems Pitt and Jolie cannot get enough of W. This is the same publication that photographed the "Changeling" actress seemingly breast-feeding in November and that, three years ago, photographed the infamous spread in which Pitt and Jolie played house. Ironically, this was for their "Domestic Bliss" issue — and published shortly after Pitt and Aniston’s divorce was finalized.