Angelina Jolie has a new interview with Marie Claire France. I mean… it sounds new. People Magazine is running the quotes like they’re new. So I’m saying that it’s new. If you speak French, you can see the original article here. Angelina is promoting Unbroken (which comes out this December) and she talks about her late mother, whether she’s good at relaxing (spoiler: she’s not good at relaxing) and whether she’s got any new tattoos.
Angelina Jolie honored her late mom, Marcheline Bertrand, at her wedding in August, and now the Oscar winner is opening up about how motherhood has connected her to her mom’s memory. In a new interview with French Marie Claire, Jolie speaks about her mother’s legacy and its impact on her own humanitarian work.
Bertrand, who passed away in 2007 after a long battle with ovarian cancer, “was very soft but could move mountains for her kids,” Jolie, 39, told the magazine. “That’s something I always admire in women: that mix of softness and strength. She was half Indian, and I remember that as a small girl, she took me to a dinner for Amnesty International. She always tried to understand the complexity of the world. She had a great heart which was sensitive to the world’s violence.”
Asked whether she believes in life after death, Jolie replied, “I’m not certain … I feel in contact with my mother when I look at my children. I can feel her influence over me then. I see that my way of raising them resembles the way she raised my brother and I. It’s more apparent with my daughters Shiloh and Vivienne. Therefore, yes, my mother is there, present in this influence, all the time.”
The actress, who has been in Malta with new husband Brad Pitt and their six kids as part of a working honeymoon, also spoke about their upcoming romantic drama By the Sea.
“We’ll play an American couple in the south [of France] that should remind you no doubt of someone.”
As for the couple’s real-life home base in the south of France, Château Miraval, Jolie says it is “perfectly situated” for their busy family.
“I’m not very good at relaxing,” she says. “I can’t stay put. I read, write, negotiate films, I carry my office around with me.” Miraval, she notes, “is close to European cities, but also to Africa and the Middle East. To all the theaters of operations where my United Nations work obliges me to go. L.A. is clearly too far from all that.”
Speaking about her role as a special envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency, Jolie addressed her work at The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, where she delivered the opening remarks in London in June. Given her ongoing activism, would she ever be tempted to run for office?
“I don’t think my family would agree,” she says. “And then I don’t know how I could be more useful than now, because my position as a public figure helps so much in generating media attention for my fight.”
One thing she does know for certain: Her famous tattoo collection is sure to grow – possibly influenced by her upcoming WWII film, Unbroken.
“You can be certain I’ll have a new one soon,” she says. “Without a doubt, something with Japanese inspiration.”
Angelina has been talking about her mother more and more as her kids grow up. I believe her when she says that Vivienne and Shiloh remind her of her mom. Personally, I think Shiloh is probably rebellious and wild like Angelina was as a kid, and Angelina is now stepping into her mother’s shoes and trying to guide her wild child. As for Vivienne… Angelina always Viv is a little teddy bear, just as sweet and gentle as can be. That was Marcheline.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet.
So sweet. I love the way she says she feels somewhat guided by her mother, a kind of “carrying on the legacy”. Angelina forever!
+1
Love her, so sweet. She adored her mom.
Something about this makes me doubt the article – maybe it’s in the translation. I mean would Angelina really talk about raising her daughters and omit her eldest daughter, Zahara?
Some, if not all, has been said before such as Miraval being ideally located for her work and access to her UN obligations. So forgive my skepticism.
I can sort of see why she’d only mention her biological daughters in the context of their connection to her mother.
It doesn’t matter how old you are when your mother dies.. the mother is always the mother. And you’ll always need her. Even in your 90s.
When my grandmother died the last words she wispered were ‘I can finally see my dear mother again’.
To all the mothers out there (mine included. she is amazing) you’re so so precious and thanks for everything you’ve done, you’re doing and you’ll do for your beloved children.
You just made me cry. And I seriously am missing my mother right at this moment too.
Me too- tearing up as I write this. Lost mine in 2010, and still feels wrong that I can’t call her up when I want to. I am an Angie fan for many reasons, not the least is her unreserved love for her mother.
+1
It’s so beautiful what you’ve said and so true.
And as you grow up, and become older you understand them better.
Speak for yourself. Some of us did not have great mothers. some of us had mothers who did not love. some of us had mothers who did not nurture. Some of us had mothers who did unforgivable things.
Angelina and everyone who has a close relationship with their mom, is blessed beyond belief.
@Rudy…you are so right. Sometimes people forget that their own family experience is not the norm. I am so sorry for your pain.
Thank you so much. That is very sweet. :-}
Her mom was really beautiful. Shiloh does look a lot like her dad.
It reminds me of the time Madonna gave an interview to Oprah during Evita a couple of months after the birth of Lola. Madonna rarely shows emotion, but it was the softest I had ever seen her in an interview. The part where she talked about the healing from the heartache of losing her mom at five when she had Lola and looked into her eyes was moving. She also said being pregnant with Lola was the first Mother’s Day she didn’t feel that huge hole in her heart and sadness that came around every Mother’s Day.
Angelina’s mother was a homemaker, a nurturer. It was her greatest joy in life, her children, and I can see where Angie would feel that connection to her mom while mothering her children. That is the way I think daughters often feel closer to their deceased mothers, through their own children. We pull out my mom’s recipes and bake sometimes (which I never had an interest in before she died), but it’s a way to recreate memories for me of being in the kitchen when I was little and mom would be making desserts. So I now do that with my family and it brings comfort and makes me feel connected to my mom.
Jayna
Thanks for the reminder…..I enjoyed Madonna again at that time.
I’ve never had moment’s maternal instinct in my entire life….. I am honestly enthralled by comments Angelina makes about her joy in discovering aspects to being a woman thst she thought she’d never experience. She’s spoken of roundness, fullness, softness…..archetypes of femininity that many of us pooh-pooh as jaded, or outright unacceptable. Had it concerned anyone but AJ I’d dismiss it…..but she makes me stop and think. It might not describe me, but hearing a woman of very wide experience and accomplishment laud such notions is just fascinating. And this current interview reveals more of her discovery, delightfully.
(Btw…I .read the MC article above….it seems to cut off before we get to the meaty part)
God, Marcheline was one gorgeous woman.
+1
Yes she was!
I do not have children, but I try to honor my mom through my job which is similar to what she did, and trying to take some decisions that she would approve of, and are correct, even if they cost me to do them.
Marcheline was very very pretty. What a mixture A J is of both her parents. Physically and In her personality. She might be very different from Voight, but she is strongly opinionated like him. She needs to have a strong personality to be an ambassador and a director.
“I do not have children, but I try to honor my mom through my job which is similar to what she did, and trying to take some decisions that she would approve of, and are correct, even if they cost me to do them.”
Ennie, that’s such a meaningful and beautiful tribute to your mother. I also try to do that in my work and feel that she would be proud of me.
When did her mom become half Native American?
Bertrand’s father was French Canadian, many of whom are of mixed french and First Nations decent and often called Metis.
I know Angie has spoken of her mom’s NA ancestry but she never said anything about her being half which is what I was wondering about.
Half is a stretch, obviously, but if you’ve a French Canadian parent the chances of having Native bloodlines is high.
But her mom’s parents were from Illnois and desceded from French Canadian ancestry (well I believe only the father had the French Canadian ancestry). They weren’t French Canadian themselves. Also I do know that she has spoken of her mother having some NA ancestry, but never that her Mom was half.
I agree that much has been lost in translation here, including any sensitivity to how modern aboriginal people prefer to referred to. It is not a stretch at all that Bertrand’s father might have be mostly of First Nations ancestry.
We’re talking more than 50 years ago and the nomenclature has changed as well as the social acceptability. Many people back then were very low key about admitting their native roots. Fortunately, that is changing a lot and many are rediscovering or admitting their heritage as a source of pride.
I’m sure Angie knows what her mother told her.
In the article she says her mom is half Indian. I take that as from India. I don’t think Angelina would have said Indian to mean Native American.
That’s how I took it, too, and I was surprised because I’d never heard that tidbit before.
In the original French article, she says Native American, not Indian. The person who wrote the People article is the one who used Indian.
Ahhh, ok. I didn’t think Angelina would make that gaffe. Leave it to People magazine though, lol.
A lot of us would rathet be called Indian or Aboriginal or first nations than native American. Especially if we’re not american at all.
Not USA perhaps, but certainly native to the America’s, no? North America? I get what you’re saying, but America isn’t only a country, it’s two continents.
I also read the translation of the French Article and Mr and Mrs Smith is right. As I mentioned below People also add Shiloh and Vivienne names when she only said her daughters and didn’t single out a specific child.
The article has been translated from French to English and as we all know, sometimes meaning can get lost in translation. She could have said my mother is part Native American and some lazy intern Google translated the article and came up with “half Indian.”
Candylove, thank you for pointing that out. I had serious doubts about the article or its translation because Angelina would never omit Zahara when talking about her daughters.
She probably didn’t say “half Indian” either. Though I often say I am half Irish when it’s only a quarter. LOL! Some people can get really picky especially when it comes to anything and everything spoken by Angelina – even if she never said it.
Just because of that line, I’m calling BS on the entire interview. AJ has always said her mother had some Iroquois lineage… It’s remote and through her grandfather. I’m sure she would’ve never said her mother was half Native American.
kinda what I was thinking, too. as I posted below, the bloodline is VERY limited (according to wiki) and I don’t think that Jolie has ever tried to portray her mother as something she is not.
also from the wiki, when someone asked about her mother being French (as in from France), she freely admitted that her mother was not at ALL “Parisian”.
Jolie may be a lot of things, but she doesn’t strike me as any kind of poseur.
That’s what’s making me question the legitimacy of this article too. But who knows maybe Angie did a DNA test and found out something about her ancestry that we don’t know about and she hasn’t publicly divulged in detail and that’s where this is coming from. IDK.
Ladies … Travel up stream a bit to @Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s post, where she says in the original French article Angie said ‘Native American’ not Indian. If the “People” magazine writer arbitrarily threw that in, it’s possible other bits from the original French article were chosen by the writer as well.
Maybe 7 or 8 generations ago – apparently in the 1640 – there may have been a Huron woman in her family tree. Marcheline Bertrand’s roots are Dutch, German, and French Canadian through her grandfather – we would have claimed Jolie years ago if she was a neechi – Heck I’ll send her some tobacco and adopt her
wikipedia (not the greatest source, I realize) says that she was born in Illinois, Jolie said “My mom is as far from French Parisian as you can get. She grew up in a bowling alley that my grandparents owned.”
it describes Bertrand’s father as “French Canadian” and her mother as being of “Dutch and German ancestry”. the entry goes on to say “Bertrand claimed to be of Iroquois ancestry through her father’s line, although her only known Native American ancestor is a Huron woman born in 1649 in present-day Quebec.”
so, one ancestor from 350+ years ago. again, wiki isn’t always 100% accurate, so if someone has another source, feel free to contribute.
She wanted to be an actress, don’t women tend to exaggerate their heritage to sound more interesting for the industry? Jon Voight’s heritage is pretty clear while MB has bits and bobs everywhere. I do think there’s truth to it but to what extent is everyone’s guess at this point.
BTW, there is no reason that an aboriginal person can’t also own a bowling alley in Illinois.
Does she mean her mum was half Native American? Really? I can’t see it. I thought Marcheline claimed to have some Native American ancestry but it was hard to prove and very diluted – hardly half.
Regardless, this is very sweet. They’re a beautiful family.
I am glad to see her affirm skipping out on office. She knows affecting change and highlighting important world issues can’t be done from that seat, and that acting gives you a much louder megaphone.
Agreed.
What a beautiful sentiment about feeling in contact with her mother. My mom is becoming forgetful and it feels a bit like losing her. How lovely that Angelina feels her mother’s presence in her kids. Oh, that made me cry.
‘“We’ll play an American couple in the south [of France] that should remind you no doubt of someone.” Does she mean her and Brad with this comment or am I missing something?
I noticed that she not mention Z when she spoke of her mother. I realize she is not bio but perhaps she should have included her.
Are you sure this article is for Unbroken that is like 3 months away.
This is part the Google translation and she doesn’t mention Shilho or Vivienne she just say my daughters. I guess People Mag just add that part in because they are the bio daughters.
:MC Do you believe in life after death?
in this case you feel closer to her?
AJ I’m not sure I believe in the afterlife
I feel in touch with my mother when I look at my children
so I can feel her influence on me
I see my way to raise my children is similar to hers with my brother and me
it is even more evident in my relationships with my daughters.
So yes, my mother is there, present , she influences me in every moment
I don’t know if we are going somewhere else after we are gone, but I am surewe influence each other on the destiny of the world ( past present and future ) and the human chain is perpetuated with a kind of ( humanity’s eternity )
She does. In the Magazine she says Shiloh and Vivienne. I dont know whats the problem. She a few months ago talked about how Brad loved Z. She did not mentioned Shi or Viv, but that doesnt mean that he doesnt love all of them the same way.
Did you have the full version? Because on other site and when I translated the article from Maire Claire.fr thier is no mention of Shilho or Vivienne.
This ‘is’ October. “Unbroken” opens on Christmas Day. Of course she’s promoting the film now. Ben Affleck is already doing articles promoting his role as Batman, and that film doesn’t open until next year.
No. This is just the 1st part of the interview. The second part will be in the january 2015 issue of Marie Claire France. (When Unbroken opens in Europe)
Her bio daughters, being biologically related to her mother, are the two who would be influenced by her mother’s genes. No offense to Z, it’s just factual. I don’t think it needs to be read as excluding her.
but what she said is that she’s influenced by her mother in the way she raises them, not that they look like her mother. I found it weird too.
The article is translated from French to English.
so as in many translations things get lost and words are filled in that change the meaning. It is a nice interview and they are suppose to have a 2nd part in January talking more about Unbroken.
Very touching
When she talks about Shiloh and Vivienne I think she is saying that Shiloh is a lot like Angelina when she was young while Vivienne probably behaves more like James. I read an article a few years ago where James was described as someone who was very closed to his mother while Angelina was more independent.
So now Angie will be accused of saying her mother is half Indian and ignoring her eldest daughter because of Google translation and lazy reporters.NICE
Same sh##,different day
Maybe a person who knows how to read French will translate interview.
We did learn that she and Brad play an American couple in By the Sea .Well I guess she said that and wasnt misquoted as usual.
LOL! You got that right.
Can this woman get more beautiful? I am not talking about her stunning outer beauty but her inner beauty which clearly shows everytime she talks about Brad, her children, career and her humanitarian causes.
Angelina is a very gifted speaker who knows exactly what words to say to explain her feelings and at the same time make other people relate to her.
The wonderful statement she said about seeing her mum in her daughters is so touching and true. Many women/mothers do see their mothers in their daughters.
I personally do that – everything I do I think about my mum, will she approve, will she be happy etc most importantly I hope that when I see her in heaven on day – that not only will I see love and happiness on her face but also pride in how I lived my life.
New movie to promote: I’m a mom, my dead mom – wash, rinse, repeat.
don’t forget: Brad loves me, children love me
?
Stay Pressed ,Boo
@sophie
umm.. complaining about someone talking about their mom that’s deceased really looks bad.
She is over the top in my estimation with her specialness. There are two sides to our nature, yet all we see of Angie is the angelic.
That said, as I read thru the comments, I am painfully aware that I did not have the kind of mother that everyone finds so dear. I feel a bit of an orphan. I can’t even imagine what it must be like to revere your mother.
I agree. Sometimes these Angie threads are a little nauseating. I think her image is very controlled.
My Mother passed away around the same time as Angelina’s did and I miss her always. I think sometimes we tend to eulogize the dead and make them out to be almost “Saintly” I have read this but don’t know how much truth to it there is that Angie’s mom was not very well mentally around the time Angelina was born and pretty much ignored her for the first two years of her life.
I guess you like being nauseated since you are on EVERY Angie thread.
Angie is not a saint.Both she and Brad have stated she is still a wild child.
I look forward to Unbroken being released,the Awards season and more nauseating threads.
You are not alone wolfpup. Paola’s comment, #2 in this thread had me in tears too because I’m never going to know that feeling. There is no one in my corner, I grew up with no encouragement whatsoever. No one to turn to, no one to thank. I like reading the posters who honour and praise their mothers, it lets me know what it must have been like. I will tell you this much though, I am the best most loving, nurturing, caring mother I can possibly be for the son I adore with all my heart.
My hair, yoga, babies babies babies.
Rinse, repeat.
I know, right? Insert Earth Mother Goddess, Loving Wife, Humanitarian Healer and delete Wild Child, Billy Bob Thornton, Sex, Drugs, Self-Harming and Vials of Blood. The image overhauling gets tedious. Just admit to being complex — not “I was once a devil and now I’m an angel.” People are not binary. How about, “I still have my ‘wild child’ moments” or “Sometimes being a mom is hard and I want to get away.” Pushing perfection is a slippery slope.
How long ago was al this being a Wild Child, Billy Bob Thornton, Sex, Drugs, Self-Harming and Vials of Blood? 13 years? 14?
Des she have to refer to what she did/ was 20 years ago in every interview?
What if she is not asked about it because her present life is more of interest? Does she have to mention it herself? Brad and Angelina have already mentioned her “wilder” side a few years ago, and they said that it was not for public consumption, that it was for them only, so it would be repetitive if they said so again.
The image overhauling happened a long time ago, when she adopted Maddox. She has been a mother for more than a decade, she has evolved more than many of her peers, she is now even heading into a different profession. I think that is something total about.
Who says it’s not interesting to hear about her early struggles? Plenty of young people would benefit, specifically at-risk youth. Other celebrities are more frank about themselves, intentionally not wanting to stuff their pasts in a box and appear infallible or holier-than-thou. Some are willing to admit they had addictions to overcome and made mistakes. Personally, I believe that’s much more genuine and helpful to people. I get sick of the PR whitewashing, which is disingenuous and tends to backfire. If you play the perfection game people will be looking to topple you off your pedestal. That’s just my opinion, and you’re entitled to yours.
Santolina, I say this as a “non superfan”, just so you know where I’m coming from. I am not particularly enamored of her film work (tho I really liked her in Girl, Interrupted) but I do think she’s a great humanitarian and seems to be a good wife and mother.
that being said, I do not see HER portraying herself as perfect by any means. From what I’ve seen and read from her and about her, she makes no bones about the fact that she has a wild past and was no saint for many years. I think she’s been very frank about her past and doesn’t deny or shy away from it at all. while it may have helped her realize who she wanted to be in life, it’s simply not who she is today. and I don’t think she tries to whitewash anything.
THAT being said, I will add…some of her more…uh…”ardent” fans, while not denying her past, seem to believe that her current “incarnation” means she is immune to criticism, and will take offense at the most innocuous comment that they perceive as negative. THAT is where the “saint angie” thing comes from, IMO…not her, but some of her superfans. that is, I don’t think SHE “plays the perfection game”, but some of her fans seem to. I don’t begrudge them their fandom, but it bothers me when they attack people who don’t share their view.
She’s always been very open about her past. She’s never hidden it and act like she’s better than someone else because she was able to overcome the craziness of her youth. The only people that call her St. Angie are people that proclaim she puts herself on a pedestal. I don’t even think I’ve heard a fan ever call her St. Anything. I’ve only heard it from some people on here to make a sarcastic comment or the crazies on D-Listed.
I appreciate your thoughtful comments, doofus and Jessica. Sal, there’s a difference between disagreeing with someone’s point of view and bashing them personally. You’ve been borderline bullying/attacking not only to me but to other posters on this thread.
Team Angelina!
I see dead people. Oops wrong movie. Get ready for therapy Zahara, grandma in heaven doesn’t connect with you. St. Angie is so dramatic.
The only one dramatic is you.
+1
That’s a pretty despicable thing to say about an adopted child.
I wasn’t shading Zahara. It was Angie Jo who mentioned her biological daughters and failed to mention Zahara. Not my style to talk about a child, especially an adopted child who is chosen by their parents. People who are avid fans of celebs tend to misconstrue words, which you obviously did.
@ Gina she didn’t mention Shiloh or Vivienne this is what was said.
“MC Do you believe in life after death?
in this case you feel closer to her?
AJ I’m not sure I believe in the afterlife
I feel in touch with my mother when I look at my children
so I can feel her influence on me
I see my way to raise my children is similar to hers with my brother and me
it is even more evident in my relationships with my daughters.
So yes, my mother is there, present , she influences me in every moment
I don’t know if we are going somewhere else after we are gone, but I am surewe influence each other on the destiny of the world ( past present and future ) and the human chain is perpetuated with a kind of ( humanity’s eternity ) ”
If you don’t believe me click the link that is posted above and translate it your self.
@ Candy Love: “It’s more apparent with my daughters Shiloh and Vivienne.” Whatever. I’m sure she feels the presence of her mother. I admire her humanitarian work, but that’s it for me. She’s always reminded me of a talking head blow up doll. I know her fans are fanatical…some celebs have that effect on people. I don’t belong to her fan club. Just another former wild child who now presents herself as royalty, which she is not.
dying 🙂
@Gina I think your comment is childish. I really don’t understand the users on here that say the fans have their own twisted ideology of A.J., when others do the same. You too have your own twisted ideology of a person you don’t know ( the St. Angie royalty remarks). The way I see it fanatics and some of the people that don’t like her are in the same boat. 😉
Well KellyBee and Paige, I am waiting for a call so I’ll reiterate what I said not how you interpreted what I said. I did not nor do I ever make fun of children. Suggesting that the girl may need therapy is not far fetched. She is an adopted child of megastars who lives a life not ordinary. She was not mentioned in the same context as her sisters. St. Angie and Angie Jo comes straight off of Dlisted…so go cry to them. I don’t get why some ladies get their panties in a bunch over a Hollywood starlet. Life is a lot is much less complicated when one has a sense of humor and doesn’t act like this simple statement is a life or death issue. There are innocent victims in the world being beheaded, people are dying of ebola, so we can add that to the list of diseases trying to kill us. Try to laugh occasionally, it helps.
Ok, I get it , It’s fine to make jokes about calling a child an orphan and needing therapy if you are aware of all the horrible things going on in the world.
@ Gina, PLEASE. The American translation singles out two daughters; in the original interview, she mentions no one specifically at all. Simply “my daughters”.
@ Gina or should I say St. Gina
Correct me if I’m wrong but did you or did you not make the joke about Zahara needing therapy ? So how is it not style that talk about children?
So she may or may not have singled her bio daughtes saying take take after her mother and people are flipping out ok. Talk about over dramatic.
Okay then, I will correct you, you’re wrong.
So you didn’t make the joke I guess someone else did and just used your name? OK then.
I wrote a novella above about my comments. It’s right above, take a minute and let it absorb. No Zahara jokes. I’m done so you can dance with yourself KellyBee….buzz, not insulting you, that’s a bee!
You can’t diss St. Angie here. You will be attacked, repeatedly.
“It’s more apparent with my daughters Shiloh and Vivienne. ”
That is not something Angelina would ever say, I am quite sure of that. Somebody misquoted or made that up.
“I feel in contact with my mother when I look at my children.”
That sounds like Angelina. And it’s a very good thing.
Is she talking about the same mother that died alone while she was have a hell of a party ?
you mean the elder mom that was not invited to that great HW wedding because of resentment after she called not so pretty? oops no, my mistake!
Wow. Please stop spreading lies.
Angelina jolie’s mum died in the hospital with James haven, angelina jolie and brad pitt by her side. Please do use google its quite easy.
Here’s a link
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20010082,00.html
no.
If I were you I’d refrain from spreading vicious tabloid gossip. It does nothing but make you look petty and ignorant.
Angie, Brad and James Haven were all at her mother’s side when she passed away.
it seems that no matter what angelina is going to get blamed regardless. it is one thing when an interview wasnt even done in english so there is a chance that some things were mis translated – and i sincerely believe that angelina wd be the very last person to call herself a ” saint” – she has done stuff and has openly said so but she is doing things that she believes are important now as well so kudos to her and if she can help anyone then that is always a good thing.