By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-05 02:39:52 | Updated at 2025-01-06 22:40:53
1 day ago
Angelina Jolie recently revealed that acting became 'harder' after the death of her mother Marcheline Bertrand, who encouraged her to pursue the craft professionally.
On Friday, the 49-year-old Maria actress explained to W Magazine how she and her late mother — who was just 56 when she passed away in early 2007 from breast cancer — 'were a team.'
Jolie desired to make Bertrand 'happy' so she tried her hand in acting, though she revealed she does not recall 'making the choice.'
'I did it in the beginning because ... it was my mother's dream,' she told the outlet.
She recalled how her mother pursued her own career in the industry, auditioning tirelessly for theater roles in Chicago and film gigs in Los Angeles.
'But by the time my mom was 25, she was divorced with two kids and she decided she would focus her life solely on motherhood,' the Maleficent star said.
Angelina Jolie recently revealed that acting became 'harder' after the death of her mother Marcheline Bertrand, who encouraged her to pursue the craft professionally; Bertrand and Jolie seen in 2001
By the time of her death, Bertrand had divorced Jolie's father, actor Jon Voight. The exes also shared a son, 51-year-old former actor James Haven.
'She loved being being a stay-at-home mom, but she really wanted me to be an actress so I don't remember making the choice to be an actress. I remembered it made my mom happy,' she recalled.
In 1982, then six-year-old Jolie made her acting debut alongside her father in Lookin' to Get Out. And to her, pursing a career in acting meant she could help her mother pay the bills.
At the time, Bertrand was her manager.
'We were a team,' the ex-wife of Brad Pitt said. 'I always wanted to buy her a house and things like that — it kind of started that way.'
The actress and her mother shared an lasting bond that endured until heartbreak struck.
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1999 and later breast cancer, Bertrand faced a grueling battle with both illnesses. On January 27, 2007, she tragically passed away at just 56-years-old.
Reflecting on her mother's death she said, 'When my mom passed, I think it it was harder for me to be an actress for while. I realized how much it was for her.'
A year after her mother's passing, Jolie opened up to Vanity Fair about how her mother's devotion to motherhood became a guiding light in her own journey as a parent.
'When [my mother] passed, I realized that somebody who lives life with that kind of dedication to their family is the most noble,' she shared.
'In her passing, she reminded me what matters. And what's most fun — to put yourself aside for these other little people you're raising.'
She desired to make her mother 'happy' so she tried her hand in acting, though she revealed she does not recall 'making the choice'; Angelina seen January 2025
Bertrand was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1999 and later breast cancer. On January 27, 2007, she tragically passed away aged 56; Angelina and Marcheline seen in August 1998
By the time of her death, Bertrand had divorced Jolie's father, actor Jon Voight. The exes also shared a son, 51-year-old former actor James Haven; Angelina and James seen in March 2000
Just last month, Jolie delivered a touching tribute to her late mother while accepting the Performer Tribute at the Gotham Awards for her role in Netflix's Maria.
Detailing her mother’s passion for theater and literature, she explained how it influenced her own creative journey and that of her brother, Haven.
'I grew up with a mother who kept books inside the oven because there were more books in our house than shelves in the apartment we had, 'she said in her speech.
'It was how she solved the problem, while still making sure we were fed. But it was her priority.'
Jolie shares share six children with her ex Brad Pitt — Maddox, 23, Pax, 21, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16.
