Angelina Jolie recently peeled back the curtain on a rare moment of vulnerability she shared with her children amid her custody battle with her ex-husband, Brad Pitt.
The Hollywood actress, 49, is busy promoting her new movie, Maria and while attending The Gothams 2024 Film Awards on Monday, where she received the Performer Tribute recognition, she brought up a sensitive topic she never wished to discuss with her six kids with Pitt, Maddox, 23, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and 16-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.
Speaking to Extra, Jolie shared that her children saw a different side of her through her latest project, which centers on the lonely and isolated life of the late opera singer Maria Callas. “I was so happy to be with them [on Maria], and definitely they saw me terrified, which is also a thing,” the Oscar winner said.
“You don’t usually share so much vulnerability in front of your children, even really crying in front of them or being scared in front of them, so they were very protective,” she added. This candid revelation is an anomaly for the actress, who has been strong amid her legal woes with her ex-husband. Jolie and Pitt have been locked in a bitter custody battle since she filed for divorce in 2016, and the split continues to cast a shadow over their lives to this day.
For Jolie, maintaining strength in front of her children has long been a priority. She previously disclosed that during the early days of her separation from Pitt, she allowed herself to cry only when alone in the shower to shield her kids from her pain, according to the Daily Mail.
However, playing the iconic soprano in her new film — coming to Netflix on Dec. 11 — forced Jolie to confront her fears head-on. “I was very scared to sing and I was nervous to do things,” she confessed in her recent interview. “But I also have always found it, you know, as an artist, you love things that scare you because it’s a gift.”
Jolie further reflected on how her career has allowed her to channel emotions in a controlled environment, saying, “Ever since I was young, I think it’s a real gift to be an artist. We’re very lucky that we get to explore, within a safe place with other artists, our emotional life and our pain and what a lot of people feel alone, and they don’t have the chance to kind of express it.”
Her vulnerability on set did not go unnoticed by her children, who she said offered their support and admiration all the way. “They did say they were proud of how hard I worked,” Jolie shared, adding that their praise wasn’t about accolades or recognition but about her dedication. “That makes me very happy that they see that I work hard.”
In a previous interview, Jolie seemed to throw major shade at her ex when she maintained that her kids mean more to her than her career. “My work is not everything. Being a parent is everything,” she told The Sunday Times.
The striking comment came weeks after she and Knox made a rare joint appearance at the 2024 Governors Awards. The 16-year-old stole the show for his uncanny resemblance to his mom. But, according to insiders, the red carpet appearance pushed Pitt’s buttons, for it made him believe that his ex-wife had an ulterior motive behind it.
Despite the ongoing drama with Pitt, Jolie has consistently doubled down on her dedication to her children, and she’s clearly not giving up on their long-standing battle for their custody.