Undoubtedly set to be one of the most emotional movies of 2025, Angelina Jolie ’s latest blockbuster follows opera singer Maria Callas in the final days before her death in 1977. In the film, Maria retreats to Paris in the 1970s after a glamorous yet challenging life in the public eye, and 49-year-old Angelina says she was more than ready to tackle the role.
“I think the way in which I related to her might be a surprise,” Angelina says when talking to OK! and other international press about Maria, which has just hit cinemas. “It’s probably the part of her that’s extremely soft. She doesn’t have room in the world to be as soft as she truly was and as emotionally open as she truly was. I think I share her vulnerability more than anything.”.
Adopting the part of Maria came with its challenges, especially when it came to learning to sing opera. But the Hollywood actress, who is best known for her roles in Disney’s Maleficent, as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider and as Thena in Marvel’s Eternals, was determined to give it her all despite her worries.
“Everybody knows I was terribly nervous,” Angelina admits, as she reveals she spent seven months training before even thinking about singing in public. But she soon found out she had a hidden power. “I’m not as bad as I thought I was,” she laughs. “But, you know, I really had never tried. I think a lot of people haven’t, whether it be someone in your life who maybe suggested you couldn’t or you just never had the support of somebody saying you could. I’m sure a lot of people have never really tried and never had the support to help them through it.
