The one movie Angelina Jolie never wants to see: “Let’s hope there isn’t”
The increasing presence of biopics can lead many to think about how unnerving it would be to see our own lives on the big screen. Whether you’re jokingly asking a friend who would play you in a movie about your life and being met with an atrociously insulting answer or imaging how your worst memories would look if used for entertainment, it’s an unsettling concept that many of us would hate to see brought to life.
However, for those in the public eye who already have their personal life dissected by the tabloids and torn apart by the press, the likelihood of this happening is far more likely, and the consequences more damaging, already having to battle false narratives in their everyday lives without the worry of seeing someone else portray them on screen. And for Angelina Jolie, this is a project that she hopes will never be made, especially given the complexity of her past and turbulent relationship with fame.
Jolie is known for being one of her generation’s most talented and devastating actors, with a captivating screen presence that is only made more enigmatic by her life behind the camera. After leading roles in award-winning films like Girl, Interrupted and Gia, as well as her iconic reprisal of the celebrated video game character Lara Croft, Jolie was seen as the ultimate it girl in Hollywood while also being subject to intense media attention for the struggles she has dealt with in her personal life.
After being born into Hollywood royalty, Jolie has been no stranger to unwanted attention after growing up with her father, Jon Voight. However, the actor’s relationship with her father has been heavily publicised, with many stories about their strained relationship and Jolie eventually changing her last name to be separated from him. The pair have allegedly clashed over political views and his leaving her and her mother at a young age, which has remained a source of contention ever since.
Jolie has also been vocal about her struggles with mental illness, detailing periods of intense depression, suicidal thoughts and self-harm that haven’t been met kindly by the press or her father, who have famously never been sympathetic to these issues and often discuss them in a dismissive and harmful way.
However, Jolie has recently starred in Pablo Larrain’s film Maria, which follows the final days of legendary opera singer Maria Callas. The actor is said to be a contender for an Oscar nomination, which after her stellar performance and recent legal battles with ex-husband Brad Pitt and ostracisation from Hollywood in general, is something that couldn’t be more well-deserved.
But when asked at a press junket how she would feel about a biopic being made about her life, the actor was quick to express her disapproval, saying, “That gets the most insane question award,” Jolie responded. “When you’re a public person and you’re playing [someone else], you’re conscious of how you would hate for somebody to interpret your life or think they understand your life, so we tried to be thoughtful [with Maria]. Let’s hope there isn’t one about my life.”
The idea of having your best and worst experiences narrativised and sold to public audiences is a terrifying idea, and with a complex web of personal relationships and private struggles, it is completely understandable why Jolie would not want to see this happen. We can only hope that Hollywood gains a shred of decency and respects her sentiment around this idea, and that she is finally given some peace and privacy from the unwanted public gaze.
