Angelina Jolie admits she didn't have 'light and life' in her after divorce from Brad Pitt, had to 'come alive again'

After a significant time away from the screen, Angelina Jolie is making her much-anticipated return to acting with a performance in Maria.

Updated on: Dec 21, 2024, 07:50:16 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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After a significant time away from the screen, Angelina Jolie is making her much-anticipated return to acting with a performance in Maria, Pablo Larrain's biographical film about the late opera legend Maria Callas. The actor recently opened up about how her comeback is the beginning of ‘coming alive’ following a dark period in her personal life. (Also read: Angelina Jolie's sons Maddox, Pax ‘were there to witness’ her in ‘a lot of pain’ on movie set)

Angelina Jolie attends a screening of the film Maria during AFI Fest, at TCL Chinese Theatre, in Los Angeles, October 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo (REUTERS)

Jolie's portrayal of Callas has earned her nominations for the 2025 Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards, marking a triumphant comeback. She is also being considered a frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar this season.

Angelina Jolie on her dark days

However, the actor recently opened up about the dark period she endured during her years-long hiatus from Hollywood. As per E! News, in a recent interview, the 49-year-old actor discussed the personal challenges she faced during her time away from acting.

"I went very dark for reasons I'd rather not explain, but I didn't have a lot of light and life within me," Jolie revealed, adding, "Your light's dim," as per E! News.

The actor, who is known for her work both on-screen and in humanitarian efforts, further explained that during this period, she "also just needed to be home more," which limited her ability to take on long-term projects.

Jolie, who shares six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt, spoke candidly about the practical and emotional factors that influenced her choices during that time. "The choice of what to work on and when was not a creative choice, often, the last few years, but sometimes the practical choice," she said, reflecting on the challenges of balancing personal and professional demands.

Angelina Jolie on her comeback

Jolie's time away from acting was largely marked by intense personal challenges, including ongoing legal battles with Pitt over their divorce. These years of turbulence had a profound impact on the actress, who described Maria as a turning point in her journey toward healing. "Maria was the beginning of starting to come alive again," Jolie shared, adding, "I needed a lot of kind people around me to hold my hand."

While her focus on family and personal recovery kept Jolie away from acting, she remained involved in other creative projects. In recent years, she co-produced the Broadway musical The Outsiders, which premiered in April 2024 and directed the war drama Without Blood, which was well-received at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

In addition to her own journey, Jolie has seen several of her children follow in her footsteps within the entertainment industry.

Her daughter Vivienne worked as her assistant on The Outsiders production, while sons Maddox and Pax were production assistants for Maria.

(With ANI inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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