Newly divorced Angelina Jolie explains why her pet peeve is liars

Angelina Jolie has a pet peeve we all can attest to at least partially share in — a deep disdain for liars.

Angelina Jolie is probably one of the most documented, judged, and celebrated public figures in our lifetime, so it’s no surprise that she chose Maria Callas as her big comeback to acting. And fittingly, she’s already courting Oscar talk for her lead role in the biopic Maria. Jolie was picked by W for an interview in the annual Best Performances special issue.

Maria’s story directly connected to a side of Jolie that gave her a clear pathway to breathe new life into Callas in a way that both introduces her to a new audience and clears up any lingering misunderstanding of her public persona. From the public criticism, her hidden illnesses, the vitriol toward her — all these are things Jolie has had to deal with as well in a very notable and public way. But what stuck with most of us was when Jolie shared with the magazine that, despite all these things she’s dealt with, it’s people who say one thing and mean another that remain her biggest pet peeve. In full, she said:

“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.”

Jolie and Pitt have just recently finalized their divorce settlement with private counsel and a mutual agreement to seal the sensitive court documents that certainly would have given more context to their very acrimonious breakup, which had accusations of abuse and incessant mudslinging. Although a source commenting on this divorce told People that Jolie has vowed never to speak ill of Pitt in a public or private setting, it’s hard to imagine that her sharing her dislike for liars doesn’t at least take a subliminal jab at her former husband in a “if the shoe fits” kind of way.

Jolie herself may have taken the high road in this elongated divorce, but that doesn’t mean that her lawyers, business partners, and even shared children with Pitt have taken the same route. Jolie’s close confidants have accused Pitt of unbecoming behaviors such as alleged embezzlement from their jointly owned vineyard and a vindictive PR war that maligned Jolie’s name.

The latter of which fans finally get some context of how it actually goes down thanks to the Baldoni-Lively controversy. Of course, Pitt’s representatives deny all these accusations, but considering his adult children keep dropping his name, it suggests there’s at least some truth to his accused misbehavior. So Jolie saying that liars are exactly the type of person she cannot stand certainly checks out.

Jolie and Pitt’s finalized divorce is just one part of their legal face-offs. Pitt has sued Jolie and her business partners for their unauthorized sale and purchase of her share — Jolie’s business partners are also countersuing for $250 million.

In situations like this, from the outside looking in, it’s difficult to even take any sides because it’s clear that these long, drawn-out legal and publicity battles are taking a toll on everyone involved. We can only hope that after the divorce, Jolie’s career can now take precedence and she — who seems to overly prioritize protecting her children — can now finally shield herself and them from the liars that keep circling around her life. Maria is currently streaming on Netflix, and Angelina Jolie has already garnered a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Maria Callas for what we consider her best performance ever.