Post-Separation, Angelina Jolie Tried to Be Normal But Just Couldn’t
In her first major magazine interview since separating from Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie opens her new Los Feliz home to Vanity Fair writer Evgenia Peretz. After living in a rental for several months with her brood of six children, she’s only been in the house four days at the time of the intimate interview. It’s sparsely furnished; Peretz notes that a set decorator friend of Jolie had to set up a living room with couches quickly for the occasion.
“I didn’t even know I needed ‘throw pillows,’” Jolie says while examining the set up. “That was always Brad’s thing.”
Jolie’s rottweiler, Dusty, then promptly enters the room, wet after a dip in the home’s pools, and plops down on one of the new white couches.
Ever since her collective soul-shaking separation from Pitt last September, Jolie has undergone an attempt to be more traditionally domestic. She’s trying to improve her cooking skills, find delight in washing the dishes, and is busy coordinating things like doctor’s appointments and playdates for her kids. She’s been “nesting,” as the mommy blogs might put it.
“I’m just wanting to make the proper breakfast and keep the house,” she says. “That’s my passion. At the request of my kids, I’m taking cooking classes. As I go to sleep at night, I think, Did I do a great job as a mom or was that an average day?”
She’s even finally repaired her notoriously tense relationship with her father, Jon Voight, for the benefit of her kids. “He’s been very good at understanding they needed their grandfather at this time,” she adds.
She’s aiming for something close to “normal,” and she’s not putting it in jeopardy by dropping any earth-shattering secrets about her marriage to and divorce from Pitt, though discussion of the subject wasn’t off-limits during the interview.
“We care for each other and care about our family, and we are both working towards the same goal,” she says. “I was very worried about my mother, growing up—a lot. I do not want my children to be worried about me. I think it’s very important to cry in the shower and not in front of them. They need to know that everything’s going to be all right even when you’re not sure it is.”
Domestic Bliss: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at Home
On her: Vintage dress from the Attic, Las Vegas; Mikimoto earrings. On him: Jil Sander cotton suit and leather belt; Alexander McQueen cotton shirt. Timex watch; Polo Ralph Lauren socks; Kenneth Cole shoes.
On her: Yves Saint Laurent embroidered astrakhan and wool cape. David Yurman ring; Harry Winston wedding band. On him: Original Penguin cotton poplin shorts. Vintage shirt from the Attic, Las Vegas; Cartier wedding band; Persol sunglasses.
On her: Narciso Rodriguez wool and silk crepe dress. Ciner earrings; Lee Angel brooch. On him: Thom Browne wool pants and silk tie; Trussardi cotton shirt.
On her: Luisa Beccaria silk satin dress. Harry Winston earrings; D&G shoes. On him: Thom Browne wool suit.
On her: Luisa Beccaria silk satin dress. Harry Winston earrings; D&G shoes. On him: Thom Browne wool suit.
On her: Alberta Ferretti silk chiffon dress. La Perla silk bra. On him: Thom Browne wool pants. Dsquared belt.
Eres black lace-trimmed silk jersey slip.
On her: Alexander McQueen mohair sweater and silk dress. Cynthia Wolff earrings. On him: Alexander McQueen cotton shirt.
On her: Vintage white dress from The Attic, Las Vegas; LaCrasia gloves; Christian Roth sunglasses; Van Cleef & Arpels watch from Kenshire Galleries; Miriam Haskell earrings; Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Original Penguin’s mulicolored cotton jersey sweater, at Original Penguin, New York, www.originalpenguin.com; Thom Browne’s gray wool trousers, at Bergdorf Goodman and Feffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles. Makins hat; Omega watch from Aaron Faber Gallery.
On her: Vintage gown from The Attic, Las Vegas; Harry Winston wedding band.On him: Vintage shirt from House of Style, Las Vegas; Makins hat; Polo Ralph Lauren socks; Versace shoes.
John Currin’s Healthcare Worker, 2003, ink and gouache on prepared paper, from the collection of Rosette Delug, courtesy of Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles.
Beauty Note: Simmer down with Estee Lauder After-Sun Rehydrator for the Body, a cooling treatment that not only soothes skin but also prolongs a tan.
On her: Vintage white dress from The Attic, Las Vegas; LaCrasia gloves; Christian Roth sunglasses; Van Cleef & Arpels watch from Kenshire Galleries; Miriam Haskell earrings; Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Original Penguin’s mulicolored cotton jersey sweater, at Original Penguin, New York, www.originalpenguin.com; Thom Browne’s gray wool trousers, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles. Makins hat; Omega watch from Aaron Faber Gallery.
On her: Alberta Ferretti’s silk chiffon dress, at Maxfield, Los Angeles; Mix, Houston. On him: Thom Browne’s wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles, DSquared belt.
Beauty Note: A swipe of winged eyeliner manages to look seductive every time. Dior Style Liner packs a sexy, retro punch.
White vintage Gottex swimsuit from The Attic, Las Vegas.
On her: Cartier earrings. On him: Vintage hat.
Beauty Note: Capture a great hair moment with L’Oreal Studio Line Fast-Forward Hairspray, which freezes styles in place without any stickiness.
On her: Cartier earrings. On him: Vintage hat.
Beauty Note: Capture a great hair moment with L’Oreal Studio Line Fast-Forward Hairspray, which freezes styles in place without any stickiness.
Trussardi’s gray plaid wool pants, www.trussardi.com. Makins hat.
On her: Miu Miu’s cotton slip, at select Miu Miu stores, 888.977.1900. On him: Burberry London’s wook pants, at select Bloomingdale’s stores; Burberry, New York and Los Angeles, 800.284.8480. Vintage shirt from House of Style, Las Vegas; Omega watch from Aaron Faber Gallery.
On her: Vintage dress from The Attic, Las Vegas; Mikimoto earrings. On him: Jil Sander’s cotton suit and leather belt, at Jil Sander, New York, 800.704.7317; Alexander McQueen’s cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York. Timex watch; Polo Ralph Lauren socks; Kenneth Cole shoes.
On her: Vintage dress from The Attic, Las Vegas; Mikimoto earrings. On him: Jil Sander’s cotton suit and leather belt, at Jil Sander, New York, 800.704.7317; Alexander McQueen’s cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York. Timex watch; Polo Ralph Lauren socks; Kenneth Cole shoes.
On her: Alberta Ferretti’s silk chiffon dress, at Maxfield, Los Angeles; Mix, Houston. On him: Thom Browne’s wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles, DSquared belt.
On her: Giambattista Valli ostrich feather and silk velvet and tulle dress. Christian Louboutin shoes. J. Medel’s mink coat. Harry Winston earrings. On him: Alexander McQueen wool suit; Dior Homme cotton shirt. Dior Homme shoes. DSquared tie.
On her: Giambattista Valli ostrich feather and silk velvet and tulle dress. Christian Louboutin shoes. J. Medel’s mink coat. Harry Winston earrings. On him: Alexander McQueen wool suit; Dior Homme cotton shirt. Dior Homme shoes. DSquared tie.
On her: Michael Kors’s cream silk charmeuse blouse, at Saks Fifth Avenue; Bergdorf Goodman and Michael Kors, New York; Ralph Lauren’s black wool skirt, at Bergdorf Goodman, New York; select Ralph Lauren stores, runway.polo.com. Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Alexander McQueen’s white cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York; Thom Browne’s gray wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles.
On her: Michael Kors’s cream silk charmeuse blouse, at Saks Fifth Avenue; Bergdorf Goodman and Michael Kors, New York; Ralph Lauren’s black wool skirt, at Bergdorf Goodman, New York; select Ralph Lauren stores, runway.polo.com. Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Alexander McQueen’s white cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York; Thom Browne’s gray wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles.
On her: Michael Kors’s cream silk charmeuse blouse, at Saks Fifth Avenue; Bergdorf Goodman and Michael Kors, New York; Ralph Lauren’s black wool skirt, at Bergdorf Goodman, New York; select Ralph Lauren stores, runway.polo.com. Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Alexander McQueen’s white cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York; Thom Browne’s gray wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles.
On her: Narciso Rodriguez wool and silk crepe dress. Ciner earrings; Lee Angel brooch. On him: Thom Browne wool pants and silk tie; Trussardi cotton shirt.
Alberta Ferretti’s silk chiffon dress, at Maxfield, Los Angeles; Mix, Houston.
Vilebrequin’s multicolored polyamide canvas swimming trunks, at Vilebrequin, New York, www.vilebrequin.com.
Eres’s black lace-trimmed silk jersey slip, at Eres, New York, Palm Beach and Los Angeles, 800.340.6004, www.eresparis.com.
She is a bit more revealing about her health. After announcing preventive double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in 2013, Jolie also reveals that a further cancer scare lead her to more preventative surgery, including removing her ovaries. She also reveals that she’s also been diagnosed with and since overcome Bell’s palsy.
Those health battles and difficult decisions all come back to trying to put her children first.
“I actually feel more of a woman because I feel like I’m being smart about my choices, and I’m putting my family first, and I’m in charge of my life and my health,” she says. “I think that’s what makes a woman complete.”
Of course, Jolie has also finished and started promotion on her new film First They Killed My Father, an adaptation of the memoir of one of her closest friends, Loung Ung. The film, which has already screened in Ung’s native Cambodia, will premiere in North America at the Toronto International Film Festival before rolling out on Netflix.
Jolie notes that otherwise she has no interest in working on another film in any capacity at the moment. Instead, she’s ready to add more adventure (along with humanitarianism) into her life. Indeed, the day after the interview she packed her brood up and took them to Africa to help check in with a project aimed at preventing sexual assault (though, she notes her kids will get to do fun things as well, like sandboarding).
Though, she notes that after “trying for nine months to be really good at just being a homemaker and picking up dog poop and cleaning dishes and reading bedtime stories,” she’s not ready to give up on the globe-trotting and go full-nesting all together. She notes that her son Knox recently joked to her, “‘Who wants to be normal? We’re not normal. Let’s never be normal.’” She told her son, “Thank you—yes! We’re not normal. Let’s embrace being not normal!”
For more on Jolie’s next film, what made her decide to adopt her son Maddox, how the children are handling things, and some stunning portraits shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, check out the full Vanity Fair profile.
Related: Brad Pitt, Hollywood God, Comes Out as Painfully Human
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