Angelina Jolie was ‘in love’ with Louis Zamperini & he loved her too

jolie variety

Ooooh, YES!! Angelina Jolie, Jack O’Connell and Miyavi cover the new issue of Variety, and it’s really good. I have a horrible confession to make as a Brangaloonie: I thought Angelina’s Vanity Fair article sucked. Not because of Angelina or anything she said, but because she was barely quoted at all. Most of the “profile” was just a recap of what she’s been up to for the past few years and there was barely anything new. But this Variety piece really makes up for it – it’s an extensive look at how all the pieces came together to get Unbroken made. Angelina is extensively quoted, but so are Jack and Miyavi and you can tell that these three people care a lot about each other. It’s also obvious that Angelina became extremely close to the Zamperini family. You can read the full Variety piece here. Some highlights:

Angelina’s hero: “They say you should never meet your heroes, because they often disappoint you. But Louis really was one of the greatest people ever. There’s so much going on in the world today that could make you lose hope. To read about somebody who had something inspirational and positive — it was fulfilling. I wanted to be close to his story. I wanted to go on this journey and become a better person.”

Louis Zamperini’s adult children, Luke Zamperini and Cynthia Garris, adore Angelina & they say Louis was in love with her: “It was a very close and very affectionate relationship built on so much admiration and respect,” Luke says. He adds that Jolie’s husband, Brad Pitt, was also a fan. “When Brad was shooting ‘Fury,’ he was so excited to tell Louis he could drive a tank,” Luke laughs. Adds Garris, “The night our father passed away, she and Brad came to our home and took such beautiful care of us. They cried with us, they held us, they made a soft place for us to fall. At one point I told her, ‘My father was really in love with you.’ And she said, ‘I was in love with him!’”

Looking for the perfect actor to play Louis: “He had to be the appropriate age, because he was a young man at the time. It had to be somebody who had the strength and masculinity of that era — a real man’s man, a physical man. And at the same time, it had to be a skilled actor who can be deeply emotional and make people root for him.”

Angelina always thought about hiring a rock star to play The Bird: “There’s a confidence that comes from someone who’s a frontman. It’s a very unusual thing to be able to be in front of thousands of people and have your presence affect a room.”

Miyavi worried the film would reflect badly on the Japanese people: “But after meeting Angie in Tokyo, I was confident to be a part of this story. We can all learn many things from this film, from the theme of forgiveness.”

Whether Angelina is retiring from acting: “I’ll do a few more. I’m about to direct something with Brad and myself, in fact…[but] I’m happier when I get to put a camera on another actor and watch them do great work.”

[From Variety]

Jack also tells a wonderful and moving story about how he wanted to get Louis’s approval event after the studio had hired him. So he managed to get a one-on-one with Zamperini and they adored each other, with Jack saying: “We sat in his dining room, and he showed me his memorabilia and I got really emotional… He and his family welcomed me in, so I could go to Australia feeling I was championed by his people.” Jack asked to try on Louis’s bomber jacket and it fit perfectly. Louis’s daughter calls Jack an “honorary Zamperini.”

I have to say, I’m really pleased that Miyavi is being pushed out to center stage for the promotion of this film. They could have easily just made it about Jack and telling Louis’s story, but I think the studio is going to spend some money and see if they can get Miyavi an Oscar nomination for his first film ever.

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Photos courtesy of ART STREIBER/VARIETY.

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39 Responses to “Angelina Jolie was ‘in love’ with Louis Zamperini & he loved her too”

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  1. Greata says:

    Great piece, but I cannot believe that Miyavi is 32 years old and has two children. Talk about winning the genetic lottery. Angie seemed really confident at the Sydney shoot which makes me believe that the film was well received. Looking forward to seeing this.

  2. Amelia says:

    So much gorgeousness on one cover 0_o

    • Tiffany says:

      I know, that really is one of the favorite shots of AJ this year. Just beautiful, all of them.

      • wolfpup says:

        Clint Eastwood once remarked (back in the day), that Angelina Jolie was the most beautiful woman in the world. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be so beautiful and photogenic. The power of that, and how she uses it is astounding. I like how she is humanized by her interactions with other people, and how they then feel about her. Maybe I’ll change my mind about her – especially with Kaiser’s thoughtful coverage.

      • Andrea1 says:

        Great cover! So much hotness on the cover

      • Chris2 says:

        I’ve repeated this ad nauseam re AJ, but Wolfpup’s comment brings it to mind again:
        • You-know-who (NOT Voldemort!) said that ‘Beauty is a form of genius’, and for once an epigram stands up to scrutiny.
        AJ’s beauty has a real power, like a great maths brain, or an unforgettable writer. It may not be as obviously useful as those, but it is a great gift that reaches beyond AJ herself. IMO.

    • V4Real says:

      I agree that is an above and beyond beautiful pic of Angie on that cover.
      She gives good face.

  3. spaniard says:

    Hope Miyavi gets an Oscar nom, that would be awesome, loved him and Gackt for years. I can’t wait to see this movie, seems really interesting.

  4. Sam says:

    The amazing thing was that Louis Zamperini himself actually took great pains to emphasize that he did not blame the Japanese people for what happened to him. He embraced Christianity after his release and actually returned to Japan decades later to meet personally with the people who had tormented him. He embraced each of them and gave them a translation of the New Testament so they could understand why he chose to forgive. The Bird was the only person who refused the meeting. The movie sounds like it will show that he really did not blame the Japanese overall and forgave the people who did wrong him.

    • FLORC says:

      Right. The man was amazing. Not just how he survived, but how he didn’t dwell on anger or resentment. I’m glad the film will be leaning towards forgiveness in that way and not showcasing the evil men capturing and torturing the good men.
      War is more complicated than that and I think this movie will get close to that..

  5. jen2 says:

    I think Louis is the father she wished she had. Great story from the family members who appreciated the attention and kindness from Angelina and Brad, as well as the praise for Jack. I am sure they will be at the US premier and it will be very emotional.

    I also think it is cool that Brad and Angelina’s children went on play dates with Miyavi’s children when Angelina went to Japan for Maleficent promotion. (I saw photos).

  6. Christin says:

    I admire how everyone involved seems genuinely respectful of Louis and his family.

  7. ToodySezHey says:

    I really hope this film is goood. It seems like there were alot of talented people involved behind the scenes.

    *fingers crossed*

  8. Paige says:

    Amazing interview. Angie and Miyavi bone structure is out of this world. 🙂

  9. GingerCrunch says:

    Lovely, understated photos of her. I like the idea of her behind the camera more. Shows how talented she really is.

  10. lower-case deb says:

    Miyavi’s tattoo is really interesting! they look like they’ve been made with a huge calligraphy brush. i wonder if any tattoo tips were exchanged between the three. both Angelina and Miyavi have prayer tattoos on their back. i read somewhere that Jack isn’t happy at all with the ones he have.

    and the portrait shot of Miyavi in the link to the original article. that man has some serious genes. and Melody, as we have seen in the Sydney post, is so beautiful too. their kids will be ‘wowzers’ i guess. can’t imagine.

    btw, maybe it’s just me, but Miyavi looks a bit like Jenny Shimizu? (but maybe it’s just me or else we may already be reading about Brad running out of the room crying and refusing to come out of his Panther).

  11. Maya says:

    Good God – these 3 are too hot for me to handle.

    Again Angelina has proven how to give an interview about a movie. It’s very articulate, on point and addictive. The more I read about this movie the more my interest increases. This is how you promote a movie – no desperation and only class.

    So glad to see that Louis’s family loves Angelina and Brad. Touching to read that they went to Louis’s house when he passed away and gave them emotional support.

    If a man like Louis, who has seen humans at their worst and at their best, loves & respects Angelina – then I will believe him.

    If the movie will be as great as I think it will – I can see it get Best picture, director, actor, supporting actor, cinematography, screenplay & music Oscar nominations and even possible wins.

    Hopefully for Louis’s memory this movie will be a huge hit and win several awards.

    • Sullivan says:

      Yes. That cover is a lot of hot.

    • BooBooLaRue says:

      “If a man like Louis, who has seen humans at their worst and at their best, loves & respects Angelina – then I will believe him.” very well said and I cosign.

  12. Aww, I love their relationship. While I can’t really say that my relationship with my neighbor is the same, I always smile whenever I see stories of Angelina and Louis. They’re so sweet together, and a lot of Louis reminds me of my Mr. C. He calls me ‘honey’ too, and is just a complete gentleman–always offers me something to eat/drink, and always walks me to the door when I leave.

    And I really hope this movie does well–critically and commercially. I’m guessing reviews won’t come out until the movie actually comes out in theaters (although I could’ve swore that industry people got to watch them early)?????? But I think that Universal liked what they saw since they bought Angelina’s script (By The Sea) and got the distribution rights for it, after she finished filming ‘Unbroken’……

  13. Andrea1 says:

    This is a fantastic cover
    Angie’s face is on a league of its one
    Miyavi has great genes and bone structure! Plus impeccable fashion sense.
    That cover has got So much hotness from all 3 of them…

    • Miyavi is *cool*. I love what she said about who should play The Bird. She said she immediately thought of hiring a rock star, because a front man is used to having everyone in the room focus on him/her…I thought that was an interesting look. Miyavi also told this cute story about how his agent (I think) didn’t tell him anything about the project or Angelina, but brought him to her office, and was asking him about his favorite movies, actors–and he said that he loved Angelina Jolie…and said that his agent just smiled at him. That’s an awesome story.

      But I think the fact that she actually hired someone who is from Japan (although I understand he’s half Korean), will help with its international appeal–instead of hiring a Japanese American, for instance. I also think there was a lot more pressure on him to get it right, and not just be a bad guy, because he understands his country’s history, and there are still a lot of bad feelings, between a lot of countries and Japan about the war (China, for instance).

      • Andrea1 says:

        Miyavi is *cool*. I love what she said about who should play The Bird. She said she immediately thought of hiring a rock star, because a front man is used to having everyone in the room focus on him/her…I thought that was an interesting look.
        @VC Yes I find it interesting also 🙂
        And I agree wholeheartedly with your comment. I just can’t wait to watch the movie and see what she did with it. But I trust she has done justice to the story.

  14. Brittney B says:

    Such genuine love and respect is rare between a director and the subject of her/his movie. I usually stay away from “war movies”, but she’s convinced me that it’s bigger than that, and worth watching. So happy she could be there for his family at the end, too; what a great gift.

  15. FLORC says:

    It might be too soon to tell, but I came to see if people would take that headline and blow it into something it wasn’t meant to be.
    The mutual respect and how they were in awe of eachother’s lives. In love seems appropriate. And how Brad and Angie went to be with his family. It takes such strength to not let yourself become overwhelmed with emotion and to help others through such pain while you’re also dealing with it.

  16. Toot says:

    That was a good and interesting article. All three look great on the cover.

  17. kri says:

    I can’t wait to see this film. I am a fan of AJ, especially the last few years seeing how she is so dedicated to this project is really special. I hope it does justice to Mr. Zamperini and his amazing life. I think it will-these choices she made for the film are quite smart. Def looking forward to seeing it.

  18. serena says:

    What can I say? I love these three, I follow Jack since he was on ‘Skins’, am a big fan of Miyavi and of course I love Angelina too. I’m really happy they’re making Miyavi promote the movie outside Japan, too. It’s a difficult but important role, and he deserve praise too. I wonder if japanese people are supportive though..
    Anyway I got emotional after reading how Brad and Angie reacted after Louis passed away, they’re truly good people.

    • lower-case deb says:

      yeah, i hope he doesn’t get into trouble with his fellow countrymen. he did say that it was a thorny issue for them still, and the whole nation can switch on denial-rage mode pretty quick.

  19. Amcn says:

    Beautiful cover and great article. Her and Jack are also on the cover of DuJour which has some great pics and another great article.

  20. JH says:

    GORGEOUS pictures. I mean, my mouth fell to the floor! I love the styling so much!!!!