As everyone keeps saying, Angelina Jolie is back to feeling good about life and feeling good about herself. It took three years, basically. Angelina has been promoting Maleficent: Mistress of Evil all over the world for weeks, and she’s been making a lot of public comments as she does press for the film. Her quotes, taken together, kind of reveal that Angelina spent 2014-2016 in a bad place. Those were her final years with Brad Pitt, and she was deeply unhappy. In the wake of their split, Jolie says she was not feeling strong, especially not strong enough to play Maleficent again:
Angelina Jolie had to work to find the strength to play Maleficent again in the upcoming sequel. Jolie put the horns back on last summer to shoot Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which comes out this Friday, marking her first acting role in four years.
“It was a tough time,” Jolie tells PEOPLE of returning to the character in this week’s issue. “I’d been coming off a few years of difficulty, and I was not feeling very strong. In fact, I was feeling pretty broken. It took me a moment to feel the strength of [Maleficent] again.”
Jolie, 44, shares six children with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, 55: daughters Zahara, 14, Shiloh, 13, and Vivienne, 11, and sons Maddox, 18, Pax, 15, and Knox, 11. But while her six kids hung around in London with their mom during most of the shoot, Jolie couldn’t get them to appear on screen this time. Even Vivienne, Jolie’s youngest daughter who appeared as a young Aurora in the 2014 original, wasn’t into it.
“I tried,” Jolie says. “Viv still can’t believe I made her a princess. None of my kids want to be actors. [They’re into] business, humanitarian affairs, things like that. Nobody was interested!”
“I was not feeling very strong. In fact, I was feeling pretty broken.” Two years after the Jolie-Pitt split, she still felt broken. Keep in mind that during pre-production and production on Mistress of Evil, Brad and his team continued to smear Angelina because she was… taking care of the kids in London. Anyway, I love that her kids couldn’t care less about being in the movie with her. Vivienne was so cute as Toddler Aurora in the first film! And it made me laugh because Angelina sounded like such a stage parent when she talked about trying to get Vivienne to do “act” as Aurora. I wish at least one of the kids wanted to be in the second movie!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I feel manipulated. She is obviously dropping all of this information about her emotional state because she has a movie to promote.
I didn’t like it when Brad did if for his Oscar campaign and I don’t like when she does it for her box office success.
She does pap walks and red carpets with the kids, he talks around being a changed man. I am over legislating this divorce.
Why do you feel manipulated? She never mentioned him, nor divorce. She didn’t even do a big magazine interview, or a tv interview. She answered question about her personal state when making a movie, and that is that. In all her promotion of this movie, she talked minimally about how she feels right now. She talked zero about divorce. And about dropping this when promoting a movie – when is she ever talking when she is not doing press for her work?
Her children are her family and they support her. I don’t see why is that a problem.
Exactly. She didn’t talk about the divorce for two years except for sending her people to various outlets (the same as him) and doing pap walks with the children.
Now she is promoting a movie and suddenly we get insights into her emotional state. I feel this is manipulative because she only started opening up when she has something to sell.
And of course none of it is a problem, I am also just noting the fact that she is doing this and this is how I feel about it.
So, she should have given an interview just about the divorce that is in no way connected to movie promotion?
Yes, I agree, she didnt have any movie to promote since 2015 and this is the first one after their separation. Of course, its unavoidable that she at least talk a bit of what she has gone through since their separation. in fact she is not saying too much and never ever mentioned Brad. Besides, why would she be talking about it or talking to the press for that matter if she doesnt have anything to promote. She never does. In the same manner that Brad only talked to the press when he promoted Allied, OUTIH and Ad astra. In fact, Brad talked a bit more than Angie of what he had gone through after his separation, like making himself a better person, father, etc, showing his vulnerability, blah blah.
So I dont understand what manipulations this person is talking about. What do you expect Angie to say, that she was so happy because she got divorced? lol.
Also, miss me with this questions business.
She’s only speaking now because it’s literally her job at this moment to answer questions.
And she’s answering them rather judiciously and not being precious about what can be asked.
She only acknowledges that going through a divorce was hard. That’s it.
Going through a divorce IS HARD.
I love her tattoos. I love her hair. I love her frankness.
+10000
It’s a fact!! She felt like crap after such a public decimation of her family. She’s entitled to answer the question as honestly as possible.
She is boring
oh my god, you’re right.
What information?
She’s said absolutely nothing more than what can be assumed when you split from someone you’ve raised 6 children with.
Huh? So did you feel “manipulated” when Brad was on magazine covers and giving interviews or do you just feel manipulated now that Angelina is speaking about how SHE feels??
@VV BaronSamedi said that she felt “manipulated” by Brad Pitt as well. Read her/his comment fully. I’m over reading about Brand and Angelina’s marriage and divorce too. But I think Angelina’s “broken” comment is ok. I would think most people who divorce have a period of feeling shaken up. I love hearing how she finds strength from her children. She seems like such a loving mom.
I don’t think she is manipulative with her feelings about how the media and gossips dragged her and her child for a long time about Pitt. That is a hurtful thing for your husband and son to get into a fight that causes separation and an investigation. You know what hurt her the most? Pitt isn’t trying to resolve his rift with these two boys. He doesn’t love them like she does or thought he did. That rolled her more than the media hate. I will put money on it.
Being broken, lost or small because of the break up of a family is horrible. Here she is: her husband is going to AA, being investigated and drug checked, her kids are afraid, confused and probably hurt, they are uprooted from the home they’ve known all their life and some of them hate their father after he tried to fight them or did fight them. That’s some shite for your azz. And people like yourself bring up some lame scenario about press and sometimes karma. Well karma may have played a role but these kids don’t deserve to be brought into other peoples hatred of a woman because of some GD 15 yr old scandal.
In general I don’t like people capitalizing on their personal lives, especially their kids, to sell a movie. B&A definitely used their family in the past, and IMO were much too open with info about their kids, for self promotion.
But I don’t feel that way with her right now, and I’m not usually one to give her a pass. Certainly she’s alluding to it, but I think most actors will discuss their personal feelings and how they got to a place to become a character, and she’s being fairly vague here, just saying it was a hard time. And the kids are mostly old enough now to determine if they want to do the red carpet or not.
Brad’s woe is me interviews bugged me more, because he was trying to repair the image he destroyed.
Now is the expected time for her to share because of her career.
Brad smeared her and she remained mostly silent for two years. If he was abusive, with the children or with her, no wonder she is choosing her words carefully. No wonder it took her so long to be able to speak of her own vulnerability.
She has three pressures at work here, her careers need for sharing (just like Brad about Ad Astra), her families safety, and her own personal healing.
I have zero issue with her talking about her vulnerability. I find it inspiring. Anyone can face difficulties, even on if the most famous, beautiful and powerful women in the world. And despite that, they can rebuild and overcome hardship. It’s real, and I appreciate her sharing.
Brad and Angelina have always used their personal lives for publicity and to promote films. They did it when they were together, why would they stop now that they’re separated?
Sure, and Angelina uses it when she’s doing humanitarian work as a UN goodwill ambassador or co-chairing the Educational Partnership for Children in Conflict or opening an AIDS & tuberculosis clinic in Ethiopia, etc, etc. Actors are a “brand” and they promoted their brand, that is all. It’s part of their job. Brad’s actually the one who comes off like a useless, whiny, prevaricating jerk, using the media to scrounge sympathy.
@Kebbie Every celebrity on Instagram & social media are promoting themselves & their brand.
@Kebbie – Meg Ryan has a joker smile, Cameron Diaz, Dolly Parton, Priscilla Presley, Nicole Kidman, Britney Spears, check them all out. Angelina’s smile, however, is no different today than it was 20 years ago.
@M Yep. It’s what celebrities do to keep people interested!
@Jaded What on earth? What did I say to elicit that? I’ve never said anything about Angelina’s smile. Certainly nothing negative, it’s gorgeous!
@kebbie – for some reason my comment to someone else appeared in the wrong place – sorry, no offense intended!!
Jolie is talking about how difficult it was to access the power of the character she plays because she, Jolie, was feeling broken at the time. Maleficent is a very powerful character and it must have been difficult to play her if you feel that you’re not feeling powerful yourself. It’s about the WORK.
What Brad did to Angelina & the children is beyond horrible and classic case of a narcissist alcoholic abuser.
He made their lives miserable before and after the plane incident. Before with his abusive behaviour and after with the media smear campaign.
The only reason he is getting away with it in public’s eyes is because is a handsome white man.
I am glad she has moved on, healed and much better place now.
I would be so angry with him if I were her. It must be so hard to not try to set the record straight publicly.
+1
This 👆🏽
I wish she would just spill his tea! The kids already know how horrible he is anyway hence why the older boys won’t talk to him.
I think it’s such a healthy sign that these kids aren’t at all interested in acting. Most children don’t automatically want the same job as their parents, and it sounds like Angelina is encouraging them to have their own individual interests.
I think it is, too…and it’s an indication that she (and maybe Pitt) instilled good values in them and didn’t shelter them from “the real world” and what’s going on IN the world. that they have an interest outside of a (likely) nepotism career speaks to her (their?) parenting.
maybe one of them will catch the acting but when they get older, but if not, they will likely be prepared to make a career in another field.
I agree, and I’m relieved to see they want other things, at least for now.
It’s usually a sign of a kid being well-adjusted, the will to explore new things.
Looking at the first picture…she needs to get rid of botox and fillers and whatever else she is doing to her face. Till now everything has been done beautifully, but now it’s starting to look overdone.
It is weird how people see things differently. I actually think she has looked incredibly beautiful during this promo tour. Not over done at all.
@yep….”lip ends dragged up”? It’s called a smile.
Apart from the the fact she is not playing the victim.
I think the public is very interested in Angelina. They always have and always will be interested in Angelina.
I really do not think there is that much public interest in Brad for the simple reason he really in not an interesting person.
He’s interesting through the women he dates. People cared when they thought he might be dating Charlize Theron. Hell, they cared when they thought he was dating Neri Oxman. People will care again if he dates a famous or interesting and beautiful woman.
That is so true.
Nailed it. Even back to Jen, Gwenyth, Juliette, etc. That’s probably why he always ends up styling himself like them too.
Yup. Angelina was the most interesting thing about him. Same goes for all of his other relationships. He has no personality of his own. It’s why he always adopts the persona of whoever he’s with.
You are so right. Angelina didn’t give him visibility (because he already had it) but certaily made him interesting as a person and sort of a role model as a father and a partner. I used to think: “well, if she is with him the guy must be smart, well adjusted, understanding”. Sure.
brad pitt is obviously trash. he’s had 2 wives and both of them took years to get over their marriages. i guess we can accuse of jennifer anniston of milking it for all it was worth but why shouldn’t she? its her life too. i think he legit wrecked her…then he wrecked his 2nd wife….and now there’s a pattern.
I think it’s interesting that it’s Angelina Jolie’s children who don’t have any interest in acting. Out of everyone else in Hollywood, who would have honestly expected that her kids would be the ones to choose differently? I still remember when everyone was clutching their pearls about how she’s, “homeschooling the kids!!” and how her itinerant lifestyle meant that none of them were going to get an education and probably wouldn’t even go to college.
I am so glad she’s sharing this. As someone who has left an exhausting, abusive marriage, saying that it took her two years to feel the strength to play a strong character again is cathartic to me. I’m struggling with life-ing but it’s better than being married, and she gives me hope that I’ll be ready to put my horns back on someday too.
“she gives me hope that I’ll be ready to put my horns back on someday too.”
love how you put that, and I hope you do, too. to borrow a phrase – it gets better. stay strong.
@Cdnkitty – been there, you’ll come out the other end a much more resilient and confident person. Wishing you much luck and happiness.
I’m a Brad Pitt apologist but I think the guy is just an insecure person who needs to be the be all and end all in a relationship. He can’t be with someone who I had an agenda that is different than his but at the same time, he’s like a relationship chameleon. I read recently, with all that Friends anniversary stuff that has come out, that he was pushing for Aniston to leave that show around the 8/9th season to have a baby and that was one of the reasons why the 10th season was shorter, because she was trying to satisfy him. She did the 9th and 10th seasons anyway and then he went off and did Mr. and Mrs. Smith at the same time and met Angelina. Then when Angelina wasn’t interested in slowing down her traveling and altruism, he went off the deep end. Seems like the guy should have gone the Ryan Reynolds route (who famously was resentful of his first wife and her career) and married a B-List type that’s into the idea of being supportive Mrs. Pitt only.
Even the kids thing seems selfish-like it feels like Angelina is about her kids period because she is one those lives to give people and Brad Pitt is like “I needed children for me.” That’s why he can sort of wash his hands of the two older ones-they’re not “his his.”
Just wanted to comment about what amazing job they did of raising their kids. The fact that they chose not to be in a film, knowing they could and are interested in other ventures is awesome. Angelina got a lot of slack for having her kids home schooled, traveling etc., but Maddox chose education.
I’m so excited for Maleficent 2 but not sure I can see it this weekend b/c I’m traveling on Sunday. But maybe I will just take time out of my super busy Saturday to just f–king today. I think Maleficent *and* Angelina Jolie would say that every once in a while we just need to take some time for our own damn selves!!!!
Eh. I can’t feel bad for her or Brad. The way these two treated Aniston after her and Brads divorce. The family style pic on W magazine, the leakage that Aniston didn’t want kids, branding themselves as the worlds savior. Making Aniston look like the shallow, materialistic, boring women with 50 cats instead of someone who simply wanted diff things. All this done as a team in order for the world to accept them as a couple and not be seen as the mistress. Yes, I know they did actual good things but they also used the good things as a branding tool to contrast against Aniston. You can do both at the same time. It was bullying of the worst kind really. And even if you think Brad only did it or that Angelina didn’t owe Aniston anything, the fact was if he could do it to Aniston, why couldn’t he do it Angelina. Angelina thought she was different and he wouldn’t do it to her bc she wasn’t basic like Aniston. That Aniston musta been the issue, that Brads issues were all lies by Aniston, the ex- wife. When it was really Aniston that was smart enough to not have children w a man who was a perpetually took no blame in his actions