Angelina Jolie has shared how her roles in Hollywood have evolved and improved as she has gotten older.
“I’ve got better work as I’ve got older,” Jolie, 49, said during an interview published on Sunday, December 1. “I don’t think about it in terms of roles offered but in terms of life experience you contribute. It’s easier for actors than singers or dancers because your body doesn’t change.”
While discussing her career, Jolie reflected on her upcoming role as opera singer Maria Callas in the Netflix film Maria, set to release later this month.
She explained that she felt a connection with Callas—who passed away in 1977—due to the singer’s deep “commitment to her work.”
“I’m a hard worker,” Jolie shared. “And a deeply feeling person. Maria is vulnerable because she feels and isn’t always able to protect herself from the loneliness or emotional pain. Because it’s part of her life and work to be extremely human and live that way.”
Jolie also mentioned that, like Callas, she lives “through [her] communication with the audience,” which she described as a significant shared aspect between them.
“For Maria and for me that has always been extremely important,” she added.
In preparation for the role, the actress dedicated seven months to taking singing and Italian lessons. The final score of the film features a blend of Jolie’s voice with that of Callas.
The movie also became a family affair, as Jolie’s sons Maddox, 23, and Pax, 20, worked as production assistants on set.
Jolie noted that this allowed them to engage with deeper themes of the film, such as relationships and violence, which she was able to discuss with them in a way that might not have been possible otherwise.
“They were able to consider the relationships in the film and the violence,” Jolie explained. “Things that sometimes you don’t have the opportunity to discuss with your sons, so I felt fortunate.”
Jolie shares Maddox, Pax, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16, with her ex-husband Brad Pitt. The couple, who divorced in 2016, have been involved in a lengthy legal battle since then.
In recent years, Jolie has been open about how her role as a mother takes priority over her career, particularly in relation to her work as a director.
“I love directing, but I had a change in my family situation that’s not made it possible for me to direct for a few years,” Jolie told in April 2021. “I needed to just do shorter jobs and be home more, so I kind of went back to doing a few acting jobs. That’s really the truth of it.”
Jolie reinforced this sentiment during her interview, stating: “My work is not everything. Being a parent is everything.”
