Angelina Jolie’s Bold Refusal to Join a Million Dollar Franchise Gave Her Golden Chance to Replace Tom Cruise in a $294 Million Film

Actress Angelina Jolie is one of the most versatile actresses who is known for taking up strong characters to portray on-screen. Jolie’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider established her as a star across the world, and over the years, with her work on and off screen, she has proved that she very well deserves to be known as one of the top actresses in the industry.

Jolie is also known for her humanitarian work as she promotes conservation, education, and women’s rights. The actress has been recognized for her advocacy and her impact on trying to make a difference in the world. Angelina Jolie is a strong individual, and her decision to say no to a million-dollar franchise clearly states that.

Angelina Jolie turned down the offer to play the ‘Bond Girl’ to play Evelyn Salt

Actress Angelina Jolie appeared as Evelyn Salt in 2010’s action thriller movie Salt, directed by Phillip Noyce. The story follows the CIA operative accused of being a Russian sleeper agent who goes on the run to clear her name. Upon release, the movie received positive comments from the critics and the audience with special praise for Jolie’s performance and action sequences. The movie grossed $294 million at the box office.

Critics, however, criticized the writing, stating that the plot of the movie seemed implausible. However, the movie performed well at the box office and was nominated for Best Sound Mixing at the 83rd Academy Award. In a conversation with Angelina Jolie for a cover story for Vanity Fair, it was revealed that she decided to turn down the offer to be a part of the Bond franchise. She said,

It started with a call from Amy Pascal. She asked if I wanted to play a Bond girl. I said, ‘No, I’m not comfortable with that, but I would like to play Bond.’ We laughed, and then about a year later, she called back and said, ‘I think I found it.’

The publication revealed that Salt was initially developed with keeping a male actor in mind, specifically Tom Cruise. But he believed that the character in Salt is very close to Ethan Hunt, which he plays in Mission: Impossible, and hence turned down the offer. The script of Salt found its way to Jolie, and she agreed, but the trick was to swap the genders on the script. About which Jolie noted,

You think it would be easy to change. You just flipped the character from Edwin to Edwina. But it was a lot trickier than we thought. The physicality had to change too; I’m smaller than everybody, so how do I go up against a bunch of men without looking silly?

The actress said they decided to make Evelyn Salt meaner than a guy and dirty, adding that she uses the walls, and the fact that she was small, she could throw herself around.

Jolie described it as ‘Chihuahua up against the big dogs.’ Her hard work paid off well, and she was highly praised for her work on-screen.

Angelina Jolie gets honest about her prep for the role in Salt

Portraying a CIA operative accused of being a Russian sleeper cell is not an easy job to do, but Angelina Jolie does it effortlessly. In an interview with Visual Hollywood.com, the actress describes her character as having had an understandable reluctance to get close to anybody and especially to get married, understanding that she was kind of putting him in the line of fire. 

During the interview, Melissa Boyle Mahle, who had worked in the Agency, was the technical advisor when it came to the CIA. She mentioned that the CIA requires the agent to tell their spouses what they do for a living. Jolie shared that to prepare for her role, she spoke to one woman, a former operative, who told her that she felt such relief when she left the agency.

After years of not being able to communicate anything that she did or where she was going, her whole relationship with her husband changed. She didn’t realize how much it had kept them apart, how difficult it had been until she had a new life.

The actress noted that they spoke to a lot of women in the CIA who were lovely, sweet women one can’t even imagine being put in dangerous situations. Through former operative agents she met and Mahle, the actress learned how an operative would react or what they’d do if they were accused, and she learned how spies lived on the edge and what they do if they are unmasked. 

The film’s technical advisor mentioned that Angelina Jolie was interested in the specifics of her role in order to make her character believable. The makers were really happy with the choice they made with offering the movie to Jolie, as they shared that it’s great to work with someone who is ready to push their boundaries.

Salt is available to stream on Apple TV via VOD.