'By The Sea' was a test of Jolie, Pitt's bond

The 40-year-old directed and starred in the drama with her husband, in which they played a rowing married couple, just weeks after they tied the knot in 2014.

"It was our way of testing ourselves. We knew that if we could get through this, we would come out even stronger and happier. And we did.

"We've always liked putting ourselves through challenges, even though it was maybe a little more dangerous for us as a couple. I don't think we want to go through it again though," femalefirst.co.uk quoted Jolie as saying.

Jolie, who raises kids Maddox, 14, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, nine, and seven-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne with her husband, found the first week of filming particularly difficult, until she and Pitt had a frank conversation.