Despite 30-Year Acting Career, Angelina Jolie Still Can’t Bring Herself to Do 1 Thing as an Actor

Regarded as one of the most versatile and influential actresses in the world, Angelina Jolie has appeared in some of the most iconic movies, including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Wanted, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and more. She has also voiced characters in Shark Tale and Kung Fu Panda. Jolie ventured into directing and has succeeded with movies including In the Land of Blood and Honey, Without Blood, and more.

Angelina Jolie recently starred in Maria, a biographical psychological drama based on the life of an opera singer, directed by Pablo Larraín. The movie follows seven days of Maria Callas’ life before her death. The actress was highly praised for her work as the legendary opera singer. Jolie recently shared one thing she cannot bring herself to do as an actor.

Angelina Jolie calls herself a ‘terrible critic’

In a recent roundtable discussion by The Hollywood Reporter, Demi Moore, Zendaya, Zoe Saldaña, Tilda Swinton, and Mikey Madison joined Angelina Jolie for a conversation on surviving and thriving in the industry. Jolie mentioned that many women in the past did not have such a platform or a community or even just a table for them to sit and talk about their careers.

The actresses were asked about a role that they were excited to do, but after signing, the energy about it came down. Demi Moore shared that the first few times watching oneself on-screen is just a little bit of dissecting of what one has performed or what one could have done and then stepping back to take all of it in. The actress added that even today she cannot watch herself on-screen.

Adding to this conversation, Angelina Jolie also said,

I really have trouble watching myself too. There are many films I’ve never seen. I can never watch dailies.

The actress goes on to explain that the reason she is not able to watch herself on-screen is because there is a sense of discomfort with the presentation of oneself. She added that as much as she loves the work, she does not want to think about what she looked or sounded like in that particular movie or scene.

Jolie noted that once it’s over, she wants the audience to connect, but there is nothing that she can do. The actress had previously mentioned that she doesn’t like to watch her movies during an interview on Australian Nova Radio’s Smallzy’s Celebrity Small Talk. She said (via Daily Mail),

There are quite a few films of mine I’ve actually never seen. I usually see it, and I get frustrated because I thought it was going to be something else. I really just like the making of my movies, not the watching.

The Eternals actress added that she is a terrible critic. But she made an exception for Eternals.

Angelina Jolie talks about her experience making Maria

The actress-director-writer-humanitarian played the role of an opera singer, Maria Callas, in Maria, who just before her unfortunate demise found herself in a state of confusion. Maria Callas, before her death in 1977, had spent time reflecting on her life and career.

Jolie, during the conversation, was asked about her takeaways from playing that character, to which she said that she didn’t realize how much life changes one’s voice. She said people hold things in their bodies, and they change the way they are.

I am 49 years old—I lost my voice. So it was such a gift to have these seven months of training and to have someone hold my hand and help me take a deep breath and try to make sound again.

She mentioned that everyone should try opera because it’s the only thing she has ever done that uses her entire body, full vocal, and all emotions. Jolie remembered Maria Callas and added that she was a woman who spent a lot of time in her process alone.

In an interview with the BBC, Jolie admitted that Maria had allowed her to find a new way to be honest with her kids about her feelings, which was beneficial for them. She noted that the character goes through a lot of pain, and Jolie’s children have seen her go through a lot of things, but they never witnessed her expressing it.

The actress mentioned that once she started expressing how it felt, the children were very supportive and would bring her tea, hug her, and just be there for her. Maria has provided a sort of a comeback for the actress, and her spectacular performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama.

Maria is available to stream on Netflix, Apple TV, and MUBI.