Motherhood, magic and the world's favourite fairytale
She is one of Hollywood’s best-known actresses, with more than 30 films and an Academy Award to her name, and yet Angelina Jolie was still intimidated when taking on the role of Disney’s most notorious villain, Maleficent.
‘It was hard at first and I was actually quite afraid to do it,’ she says with a broad, and it should be said, benevolent, smile. ‘The animated version was done so perfectly, and when I was young I thought she was so elegant and powerful.’
Maleficent, for those who need childhood memories jogged, is the evil witch in Sleeping Beauty. Malicious yet mesmerising, she is now the subject of the eponymous film, which delves into the back story of the character to reveal what led her along such a malevolent path.
Angelina
‘Initially, I thought how could you possibly make a film where the central character curses a baby, and in any way make that appealing?’ continues Jolie. ‘We really wanted to back up the story and understand how she became evil, and to question things about human nature.’
A huge part of the character is her beguiling voice, so as well as donning prosthetic cheek bones and a pair of devilish horns, Jolie also had to perfect her British accent. ‘As an actress, I do film and not theatre, so I don’t naturally have that sort of performance voice,’ she explains. ‘Also I don’t think we Americans have such a gift with language, so I studied lots of tapes of British theatre actresses.’
The result is an accent that was a hit with not only the producers, but Jolie’s own family, too. ‘My children loved Maleficent’s voice so they always make me do it at home,’ she laughs. ‘The interesting thing about her is that as much as she’s a villain and she’s dark and considered mean, I was very playful as her. It’s not a film where I was playing such a heavy role that I came home and the children had to feel the weight of a performance. I came home very silly. I think it actually brought out the child in me.’
The children Jolie refers to are her brood of six: Maddox (aged 12), Pax (10), Zahara (nine), Shiloh (seven) and twins Knox and Vivienne (five). The older three are adopted and the younger three are her biological children with her partner, fellow Hollywood actor Brad Pitt. The couple met while starring in 2005’s Mr & Mrs Smith and – to the delight of the world’s media – fell in love and went on to build a family together.
Do her children ever watch their parents’ films?
‘Oh yes, but we have to be selective about it,’ laughs Jolie. ‘The older ones recently saw Mr & Mrs Smith [in which they play married assassins] and I think that they thought it was the funniest thing ever, watching your parents fight as spies is some strange childhood fantasy. Maleficent is the film I’m most excited about, though, as it’s one we can all see together and one I know they’re all going to really like.’
In fact, Jolie is not the only member of her family to take a starring turn in Maleficent. Her daughter Vivienne plays a young Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) in the film. ‘Brad and I have never intended, and we still don’t, to put our children in film,’ she states.
‘The reason we ended up needing to put Vivienne in the film is because the character is when Aurora is five, and she needed to not see me as a demon. All the little kids who came to audition would be terrified. They’d cry or would freeze, and they certainly couldn’t do a scene with me.
‘It was genuinely out of necessity that it had to be Vivienne so it could be a good scene.’ She pauses before adding, ‘Like for any parent, she’s our little girl. She’s silly and sweet, so the idea that she’s in a movie is funny to her mum and dad.’
Juno Temple, Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville as the flower pixies
Jolie’s scary costume aside, the film still manages to remain suitable for young and impressionable minds. ‘Kids are curious. They’re drawn to the bad guy; things that are dark,’ she says. ‘There are things that scare us in life and we all want to understand, especially children, so that it frightens us less.’
Angelina Jolie certainly does not shy away from confronting the more unsettling side of life. Last year she made headlines when she revealed that she had had a preventive double mastectomy. Her openness on the subject enhanced worldwide awareness of the BRCA1 cancer gene, and resulted in a significant increase in the number of women getting checked for the disease.
She has also used her influence to contribute to a wealth of charitable projects, most recently becoming involved with the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative. Far from being a publicity drive, her passion for helping others is entirely genuine. ‘My acting will eventually take more of a back seat. I’ve had a wonderful career and I am very happy to have had all the opportunities to tell stories and work for as long as I have. I am sure there will be a few more films, but I’m happy to be selective.’
Interestingly, the role of Maleficent was one that she selected around her charitable endeavours because she identified with her. Throughout a career that has spanned almost two decades, she has carved her reputation playing strong female characters.
Elle Fanning, who plays the older Princess Aurora, alongside Angelina Jolie
‘I wasn’t really into fairytales when I was little,’ she admits. ‘I was of the generation of the earlier Disney movies when the princesses and the female characters were not little girls that I looked up to.
‘With Maleficent, there is a lot more to her. She is actually somebody who I did rather like in the end. I think for everyone, there’s a side of us that would like to be completely free, to use our voice to the fullest, or have as bigger laugh as possible.
‘Maleficent was that character for me. I didn’t know my voice could be that strong. I didn’t know I could have that much fun. She has a freedom that in daily life I don’t have, and that most people don’t have.’
Maleficent may be evil, but she does hold a strange appeal, and Angelina believes it is in these grey areas where the most valuable lessons are learned. ‘The side of fairytales that I don’t like is the idea of happy endings, where there is simply good and evil and things are perfect.
‘I think a good story for children has a good sense of a normal, more complex life. That’s what I try to teach my children, and that’s what we tried to do in this film.’
Maleficent is released in cinemas nationwide on 28 May.
‘It was hard at first and I was actually quite afraid to do it,’ she says with a broad, and it should be said, benevolent, smile. ‘The animated version was done so perfectly, and when I was young I thought she was so elegant and powerful.’
Maleficent, for those who need childhood memories jogged, is the evil witch in Sleeping Beauty. Malicious yet mesmerising, she is now the subject of the eponymous film, which delves into the back story of the character to reveal what led her along such a malevolent path.
Angelina‘Initially, I thought how could you possibly make a film where the central character curses a baby, and in any way make that appealing?’ continues Jolie. ‘We really wanted to back up the story and understand how she became evil, and to question things about human nature.’
A huge part of the character is her beguiling voice, so as well as donning prosthetic cheek bones and a pair of devilish horns, Jolie also had to perfect her British accent. ‘As an actress, I do film and not theatre, so I don’t naturally have that sort of performance voice,’ she explains. ‘Also I don’t think we Americans have such a gift with language, so I studied lots of tapes of British theatre actresses.’
The result is an accent that was a hit with not only the producers, but Jolie’s own family, too. ‘My children loved Maleficent’s voice so they always make me do it at home,’ she laughs. ‘The interesting thing about her is that as much as she’s a villain and she’s dark and considered mean, I was very playful as her. It’s not a film where I was playing such a heavy role that I came home and the children had to feel the weight of a performance. I came home very silly. I think it actually brought out the child in me.’
The children Jolie refers to are her brood of six: Maddox (aged 12), Pax (10), Zahara (nine), Shiloh (seven) and twins Knox and Vivienne (five). The older three are adopted and the younger three are her biological children with her partner, fellow Hollywood actor Brad Pitt. The couple met while starring in 2005’s Mr & Mrs Smith and – to the delight of the world’s media – fell in love and went on to build a family together.
Do her children ever watch their parents’ films?
‘Oh yes, but we have to be selective about it,’ laughs Jolie. ‘The older ones recently saw Mr & Mrs Smith [in which they play married assassins] and I think that they thought it was the funniest thing ever, watching your parents fight as spies is some strange childhood fantasy. Maleficent is the film I’m most excited about, though, as it’s one we can all see together and one I know they’re all going to really like.’
In fact, Jolie is not the only member of her family to take a starring turn in Maleficent. Her daughter Vivienne plays a young Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) in the film. ‘Brad and I have never intended, and we still don’t, to put our children in film,’ she states.
‘The reason we ended up needing to put Vivienne in the film is because the character is when Aurora is five, and she needed to not see me as a demon. All the little kids who came to audition would be terrified. They’d cry or would freeze, and they certainly couldn’t do a scene with me.
‘It was genuinely out of necessity that it had to be Vivienne so it could be a good scene.’ She pauses before adding, ‘Like for any parent, she’s our little girl. She’s silly and sweet, so the idea that she’s in a movie is funny to her mum and dad.’
Juno Temple, Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville as the flower pixiesJolie’s scary costume aside, the film still manages to remain suitable for young and impressionable minds. ‘Kids are curious. They’re drawn to the bad guy; things that are dark,’ she says. ‘There are things that scare us in life and we all want to understand, especially children, so that it frightens us less.’
Angelina Jolie certainly does not shy away from confronting the more unsettling side of life. Last year she made headlines when she revealed that she had had a preventive double mastectomy. Her openness on the subject enhanced worldwide awareness of the BRCA1 cancer gene, and resulted in a significant increase in the number of women getting checked for the disease.
She has also used her influence to contribute to a wealth of charitable projects, most recently becoming involved with the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative. Far from being a publicity drive, her passion for helping others is entirely genuine. ‘My acting will eventually take more of a back seat. I’ve had a wonderful career and I am very happy to have had all the opportunities to tell stories and work for as long as I have. I am sure there will be a few more films, but I’m happy to be selective.’
Interestingly, the role of Maleficent was one that she selected around her charitable endeavours because she identified with her. Throughout a career that has spanned almost two decades, she has carved her reputation playing strong female characters.
Elle Fanning, who plays the older Princess Aurora, alongside Angelina Jolie‘I wasn’t really into fairytales when I was little,’ she admits. ‘I was of the generation of the earlier Disney movies when the princesses and the female characters were not little girls that I looked up to.
‘With Maleficent, there is a lot more to her. She is actually somebody who I did rather like in the end. I think for everyone, there’s a side of us that would like to be completely free, to use our voice to the fullest, or have as bigger laugh as possible.
‘Maleficent was that character for me. I didn’t know my voice could be that strong. I didn’t know I could have that much fun. She has a freedom that in daily life I don’t have, and that most people don’t have.’
Maleficent may be evil, but she does hold a strange appeal, and Angelina believes it is in these grey areas where the most valuable lessons are learned. ‘The side of fairytales that I don’t like is the idea of happy endings, where there is simply good and evil and things are perfect.
‘I think a good story for children has a good sense of a normal, more complex life. That’s what I try to teach my children, and that’s what we tried to do in this film.’
Maleficent is released in cinemas nationwide on 28 May.