interview: Angelina Jolie
POSTED 11.01.2010 @ 15:34
You have to work pretty hard to shock in Hollywood these days. Daniel Day-Lewis just about managed it when he upped sticks to go and work as a cobbler in Italy, and Robert Downey Jr may have come a close second for any number of things he did between 1996 and 2001. But to really shock? Well, you have to turn to 34-year-old Angelina Jolie for that.
It’s not that she means to. It just kind of happens. Again. And again. And all over again. Her 20s were a cavalcade of outrageous exploits and outré behaviour. There were drugs, sleeping with knives, two marriages (first to British actor Jonny Lee Miller in 1996 and then to Billy Bob Thornton in 2000) and two subsequent divorces, a spot of Sapphic indulgence with model-turned-actress Jenny Shimizu and, of course, that kiss with brother James Haven at the Oscars in 2000. Her most eyebrow-raising moments include writing Miller’s name in blood on the back of her shirt at their wedding, and buying Thornton his-and-hers cemetery plots for their one-year anniversary. Jolie said of the blood vials she and Thornton wore around their necks, “Some people think a big diamond is really pretty. My husband’s blood is the most beautiful thing in the world to me.”
Things went quiet for a while. In the dying days of her relationship with Thornton, she adopted a son, Maddox, from a Cambodian orphanage. Motherhood changed her. And then, of course, she met Brad Pitt. That’s right, the woman who once signed her will in her own blood went and fell in love with America’s Mr Apple Pie.
Since then, Angelina has single-handedly kept the world on its toes with her ever-changing, always-surprising life. She’s gone from single mother-of-one to co-parent of six; from curvy to rail thin; from a girl who grew up in the mansions of Hollywood as the daughter of actor Jon Voight, to a woman with homes (including a Cambodian shack) across the corners of the earth. She’s a humanitarian and a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but designs jewellery with Pitt for luxurious British jewellers, Asprey (okay, with net profits going towards an Education Partnership for Children of Conflict).
There hasn’t been an actress who has dazzled and so consistently fascinated audiences since Elizabeth Taylor. There may never be another one in our time. Shocking she may be, but let’s be honest, would we really want it any other way?
How do you juggle being a mother and an A-list actor?
I am just a mum and that’s how I am going to be the rest of my life. That sounds so funny, I mean, “A-list actor”. I’m so happy to be working as an actor and to take some time off whenever I can and that’s something not a lot of people can do. I am so fortunate to juggle both. Success in this business comes and goes.
When it comes to parenting are you and Brad on the same page?
Yeah, pretty much. We are and we also know there are certain things that are important to him and certain things that are important to me and we respect if something really matters to one of us. We really want [the children] to understand our personal space.
Do you crave time alone?
Well, I haven’t been alone for so long, you know. I met the right person and I don’t like being without him and I don’t love to be alone like I used to be.
What’s the best thing about Brad?
Brad is a wonderful person. He’s really a great actor. He’s also a really great guy. He’s extremely down-to-earth, goofy and funny. People know very little about him, I think, when it comes to where his morals are, where his values are, how he is with people, what he cares about, what he’s learned. He is very aware as a person. He’s doing a lot of good things and he’s a great parent. It’s really nice to watch him do that and nice for me to be able to talk about things I care about to somebody that does as well.
It seems he has got more passionate about humanitarian work since you two met.
Like I said, people don’t really know him. We share the same passion for humanitarian concerns. He’s extremely thoughtful, intelligent and invested in many issues. He’s just more quiet in his way. He’s the person who methodically figures out what he believes in and how he’s going to handle something, then does it.
You’ve seen so much poverty in the world. How do you feel when you come back to so much wealth?
It’s certainly two extremes. But at the same time, we wake up every day as parents of children from around the world whose backgrounds are very similar to the children we do see. We want to raise our kids with the right values and we want them to see all different sides of the world – we want them to be responsible but also want them to enjoy their lives and the privileges that they have. Give them everything that we could possibly give them, [but] never spoil them; we never let them forget how fortunate they are.
Did you always want to be an actor ?
Yeah, I went to Strasberg school when I was 16. I had a desperate need – I think most actors do – to communicate. There’s something inside of us − we want to reach out, we want to talk to each other and hope that we make some sense so we can get some answers. So it was the best way to do it and hope there would be a response. I grew up very aware of my emotions. I’ve got my mum to thank for that.
So emotions come easily for you in front of the camera?
Yeah, I suppose they do. I went through a time when I was a teenager when I never cried. I went through a period where I didn’t accomplish anything. I mean, in my life I don’t like to cry. And for some reason maybe I need to do it when I’m acting, so I can’t stop when I start. I strongly believe in living life in the moment. To feel what you feel and just be completely honest, just be who you are, just be alive.
If you weren’t an actor, what would you have liked to do?
I love the feeling of freedom and moving so I’d say an explorer. I wouldn’t be happy being locked in a small place every day.
Is it true that at some point you wanted to be a funeral director?
Yeah, I did a home study course and they sent you this handbook with all the information.
You’ve played different characters in over 40 films. Is acting still challenging for you?
There’s a bit of me in every character I play, so I just go [to] that side of my personality. But every time I am back home, my kids remind me that I am just a mum. I love to play roles of women I can learn from, something about them that’s challenging that I
haven’t played [before]. I love to play strong women, I tend to identify with them more, especially as I get older and [now that] I have children. I’ve never been good at just playing a victim because there’s something in me that doesn’t identify with that.
How comfortable are you now doing nude or love scenes?
I think it’s a bigger deal to be emotionally naked, you know. The thing is, if it’s important to the film, then just do it. It’s not a big deal to be naked. I think a woman’s breasts are a woman’s breasts. It doesn’t shock me. As for love scenes ... I can do a sex or love scene quite easily. A soul connection is very difficult. A physical thing is for some people, I mean for me, very easy. You find something about the other person that you love, enjoy, and you do embrace it and just have fun and just enjoy each other, you know, it doesn’t mean anything and whatever happens, it’s left there.
Is there anything you haven’t yet done that you’d like to do?
Yeah, definitely. Now I live a life of great adventure. I help where I can. I raise my kids with a lot of love and make sure they grow into the individuals they were born to be. Separate from that, I want to continue to educate myself. My job is not to fix the world, my job is just to do my part.
Has visiting refugee camps changed your perspective in any way?
Definitely. When I’m in a refugee camp, my spirit feels better there than it does anywhere else in the world, because I am surrounded by such truth and family. I feel so connected to it. I feel most alive, most myself, working with people who have endured great losses and yet still feel grateful for life. And I guess for me, it was important to know that. To know how fortunate I was.