Angelina Jolie’s Major—and Misunderstood—Diva Moment

The past two years have been eventful for Angelina Jolie: She launched her clothing line, Atelier Jolie; won a Tony Award as a producer of The Outsiders: A New Musical on Broadway; directed the Salma Hayek–led film Without Blood; and made her return to acting in Maria, her first role since 2021’s Eternals. The ambitious film, directed by Pablo Larraín, is the final installment in his trilogy that centers misunderstood iconic women, following Jackie and Spencer. In Maria, Jolie takes on the challenge of portraying opera legend Maria Callas, balancing the diva’s commanding stage presence with the complexities of her private life. To embody Callas, the Oscar winner underwent months of Italian lessons and rigorous vocal training to perform some of Callas’s most famous arias. When Maria premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August, it received an eight-minute standing ovation, moving Jolie to tears and positioning her as a strong contender for this year’s best actress race at the Oscars. Here, Jolie reflects on the intense preparation required to play Callas; her relationship with her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand; and her hopes for her own children.

Before playing Maria Callas, what did you learn about her?

I knew of her music, and it doesn’t take much to look her up and start to see everybody’s opinion of her. But you don’t really know her. I think she was misunderstood. Her illnesses were not known—when she couldn’t make a performance, the vitriol and the stories were unbelievable. We came to discover that she was dealing with many medical issues.

There’s this idea that she wanted to be glamorous or be “the thing.” I think it was more survival. When she was young, her mother made it very clear to Maria that she was not good enough as she was. So she was always trying to pull it all together—to do and be and present. I don’t think she felt that being just Maria was enough.

When you play a character like that, do you find yourself consumed by it?

I was very “in it” when I was in it. I had seven months of singing class, Italian class, and opera class. Then, throughout filming, Pablo and the team treated me like a singer—which really meant a lot to me. I had pianos wherever I went, my coaches, my exercises, and every night I was practicing for the next performance. But I'm different because I'm a mom, so I was able to step away from a heavy day at work and think about something else.

Aside from Maria Callas, you've played the model Gia Carangi and Cornelia Wallace, the wife of former Alabama governor George Wallace. Do you like playing real people?

I do. I feel I’m good if I’ve come to care for them. I have to love them to do a good job, but you don’t want to make them saints. The more I learned about Maria, the more I felt she deserved empathy and understanding. In those last years of her life, when she was so criticized and so alone, my goal was for the audience to please give her life a second look. Give her one more moment.

Callas had great style. Was there a particular piece of jewelry or a garment that connected you to her?

My favorite look of hers was her robe. It was handmade in Italy, crocheted. The woman behind closed doors, in the robe, with her faith and her little poodles following her—that was not what the world wanted from Maria. What they wanted was Callas.

Did you always want to be an actor?

I did it in the beginning because it was my mother’s dream. She pursued acting, but by the time my mom was 25, she was divorced with two kids and she decided to focus her life solely on motherhood. She didn't make me feel like it was a sacrifice—she loved being a stay-at-home mom. But she really wanted me to be an actress. I don’t remember making the choice. I remember it made my mom happy. My mom was my manager, and we were a team. I always wanted to buy her a house, and I started to pay the bills. When my mom passed, it was harder for me to be an actress because I realized how much of it was for her.

Do you have any pet peeves?

So many things. But my pet peeve is somebody who is a liar. Somebody who feels a need to not say the truth or what they want, what they feel. There's a big version of that—and I'm not trying to be heavy about it—but people who say one thing and mean another, who aren't completely who they are. I think a lot of people don't say what they mean.

What is your secret skill?

I can fly a plane. I have a Cirrus.

Do you love it?

Yes. My son is now flying.

Do you get nervous when he flies?

No. Maybe I just have a big family [Laughs]. I worry more that people aren't finding themselves and something they love. I think that's more dangerous, to walk so tentatively through life that you don’t take a risk. You don’t wake up with passion. I think that’s scarier. I'd rather they be out there trying and failing than not pushing and being passionate.

Are you more like a cat or a dog?

I’ve been told I’m like a cat. I’m loyal like a dog, and I follow my kids around like a dog, but I probably am more catlike. When I was in acting class, we would study cats. They only use the muscles they need. They have perfect relaxation. A cat is either very loving and really with you, or else do not get in its space. I have a feeling I’m a bit like that.

What sign are you?

Gemini. I think we're mistaken for being of two faces, but we probably have 20, which is why a lot of us are actors. We just have many, many sides.

Hair by Renato Campora at Kalpana; makeup by Raoul Alejandre at CLM.

Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Hair for portfolio by Paul Hanlon at Dawes & Co.; makeup for portfolio by Sam Visser at Art Partner; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders James. Set design by Gerard Santos at Lalaland.

Creative producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Leonard Cuinet-Petit at January Productions; producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Kevin Isabelle; produced by AP Studio, Inc.; executive producer: Alexis Piqueras; producer: Anneliese Kristedja; associate producer: Kimmy D’Ancona; production manager: Hayley Stephon; production coordinators: Miranda Dos Santos, Susan Lucas; photography assistants: John Neate, Jed Barnes, Chris Whitaker, Kendall Peck; digital technician: Niccolo Pacilli; digital assistant: Cassian Gray; postproduction by Dreamer Post Production; fashion assistants: Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, Celeste Roh, Raea Palmieri, Tatiana Isshac, Haleigh Nickerson, Lauren Marron, Savannah Steilner, Sage McKee, Frankie Benkovic, Kaley Azambuja, Tatum Sanchez; production assistants: Gigi Rosenfield, Lily Cordingley, Eli Cash, Lex Vaughn, Anderson Renno, Kat Saravia, Kyle Dekker, Wyatt Noble, Brandon Martin, Moose Krupski, Josh Muwwakkil, Bradley Gonsalves, Drew Carter, Thomas Lynch, Alex Kofman, Jackson Schrader, Anatalia Zavaleta, Joseph Wride, Matt Flynn; first AD: Steve Kemp; location manager: Kyle Hollinger; hair assistants: Kim Garduno, Ben Gregory, Marco Iafrate, Hyacinthia Faustino, Chris Foster; makeup assistants: Shimu Takanori, Laura Dudley, Brian Dean, Beatrice Sandoval; manicure assistant: Cheyenne Vander Schuur; set design assistants: Seth Powsner, Denver Stoddard, Ryan Johnson; tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Ripsime Vartanyan, Jackie Martirosyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.