Angelina Jolie Declines to Discuss Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie refused to answer questions about her conflict with ex-husband Brad Pitt but did talk about her family and future plans during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on August 30th. When asked about her divorce from Brad Pitt, Jolie simply said, “No,” and only responded to questions related to her film Maria, which is competing at the Venice Film Festival. The outlet noted that Jolie maintains clear boundaries on certain private topics.
From the standpoint of Jolie, in the past, Hollywood stars could avoid revealing personal matters and let their work speak for itself. Nowadays, the relationship with the audience has changed, so she’s learning to share what she can with the public.
Although she declined to discuss Brad Pitt, Jolie did talk about her children. Her two eldest sons, Maddox, 23, and Pax Thien, 21, joined the production of Maria as assistant directors. They kept strangers out of the theater during the filming of an opera scene and comforted their mother with hugs or a cup of tea when she was tired. Jolie mentioned that director Pablo Larraín praised Pax Thien’s still photography skills when he saw him at work. The actress did not elaborate on Pax Thien’s recent accident, only mentioning that he is recovering.
In the interview, Jolie also shared that she doesn’t have many close friends to rely on or call in emergencies. She explained, “I don’t have relationships like that, maybe because I lost my parents young, due to work, or having been betrayed too many times. But I still have a few friends, just enough. Loung Ung, a Cambodian-American human rights activist, is one of my closest friends. My mother was also very close to me, but she has passed away.”
Jolie currently lives with her children in Los Angeles and plans to move to Cambodia once her children turn 18. Since her divorce, she has spent less time acting to focus on raising her children. The actress continues her humanitarian work and plans to direct several future film projects. She is considering making a film about Don McCullin, a renowned British war photographer.
Angelina Jolie, 49, was born into a family of artists in the U.S. She made her first screen appearance alongside her father, Jon Voight, in Lookin’ to Get Out (1982) and began acting professionally in 1993 with Cyborg 2. The actress has won three Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award.
Maria marks the reunion of director Pablo Larraín and screenwriter Steven Knight. The film is about the life of the world’s greatest opera singer, portraying her final days in 1970s Paris. The singer lived in solitude, cared for only by her butler (played by Pierfrancesco Favino) and maid (Alba Rohrwacher).
Jolie and Pitt’s marriage ended in 2016 after she accused him of abuse on a plane. That same year, she filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Both sought custody of their children, but Pitt lost the battle.
Currently, the former couple is embroiled in a legal dispute over the ownership of a French estate, with no resolution in sight. Most of their children, except for their youngest son Knox, 16, have chosen to drop their father’s surname amid the ongoing tensions.
