When a new picture of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston surfaced from backstage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Monday, the internet certifiably lost the plot.
Seen grinning from ear to ear at each other, the former husband-and-wife shared a reunion that was a moment in time that will not be forgotten any time soon.
The couple, who was married from 2000 to 2005 were once a Hollywood fairytale, and it’s been hoped, prayed upon even, for the pair to reunite in some way ever since their split was announced 15 years ago.
A picture of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston at the SAG Awards has sent the internet into meltdown.
(Emma McIntyre / Getty Images)But behind every great photo, like the one that went completely viral at the SAGs, is a photographer who captures the moment.
In this instance, it was Emma McIntyre, a staff photographer for Getty Images and now practically a household name given the amount of times her images of Brad and Jen at the awards have been shared.
In a report from PEOPLE, Emma said she had no idea that the moment between the ex-husband-and-wife was coming.
“The moments are really joyful and there are often encounters between winners in this area. I try and capture as many of these celebratory moments as I can,” she said, before adding: “It’s always fun to capture spontaneous run-ins between actors.”
The reunion has been a long time coming – and Emma was there to capture it.
(Emma McIntyre / Getty Images)Well, she certainly managed that – her images of Brad and Jen reuniting were refreshingly candid and raw, capturing a moment that was clearly unplanned, yet serendipitous.
Explaining how it all went down, Emma said the pair were both backstage at the time doing the usual awards press circuit.
“Jennifer had just signed some posters for SAG and was about to walk the press line. I was running back and forth between the two backstage areas and had just taken some photos of Jennifer,” she said.
It was then that something clicked for Emma.
“I was about to leave when I saw Brad coming down the hallway and sensed there would be a photo-worthy moment.”
WATCH: Brad Pitt watches Jennifer Aniston’s acceptance speech at the SAG Awards. Story continues…
What happened next will go down as something of a legend for the photographer.
“[Brad] called out ‘Aniston!’ and she turned around and they embraced and congratulated each other,” she explained.
“It was a moment of two accomplished people at the top of their game, acknowledging each other’s successes and genuinely seeming happy to see one another.”
She added that you could “sense the respect between two people who have known each other 20-plus years and are both outstanding in their field.”
There’s certainly no denying that.
Since the images surfaced, rumours have been rife of a potential reignited romance between the pair.
It seems they’ll continue to keep mum on such a feat however – neither have confirmed nor denied anything at this stage.
So for now, we may as well gaze fondly at Emma’s photos of the pair for a while longer. One can only dream…
