Washington - Their marriage may have fallen apart, but Hollywood actor Billy Bob Thorton has said that he still respects his ex wife Angelina Jolie, insisting that his new film 'School for Scoundrels' is not poking fun at her love for adoption.

Thorton's character makes fun of a lovelorn Jon Heder in the film, suggesting that he's "one step away from adopting a Chinese baby."

Although he has denied poking fun at his ex wife, he admitted that he knew people would read too much into the line, believing it to be a joke aimed at Jolie's adoption of Cambodian baby Maddox.

"I knew it would get blown out of proportion. It's an old joke that's been around forever. I'm not the brightest guy in the world but I'm not that stupid. I would never come up with something like that as an inside joke because Angelina and I are friends and I have the utmost respect for her," Contactmusic quoted him, as saying.

"First of all, it's kind of a weird kind of blanket ethnic affront. She adopted a baby from Cambodia and Cambodia is not China. This joke is more of a reference to yuppie couples in Brentwood (Los Angeles) and that kind of thing."

"It never occurred to any of us in the film until somebody put it up on the Internet and it was like, 'Oooohhh!' I'm sure I'll have to put up with it for two or three months," he added. (ANI)