Angelina Jolie Reveals Why She’s ‘Drawn’ To Playing ‘Broken’ Characters After Brad Pitt Split

Angelina Jolie is ready for the next chapter in her career. The Oscar winning actress, 45, is poised for a major return to the big screen with her upcoming film Those Who Wish Me Dead, and filming the movie has been incredibly therapeutic for the star. “I am drawn to people who have been through something and are broken and then find their way forward and overcome it,” Angelina shared in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“As an artist, it’s very healing to play people like that. She’s been very healing for me, because you just get so broken and then you stand back up,” she further explained of her role in the Taylor Sheridan-directed picture. The past few years have been incredibly trying for the actress. She’s endured a very public split from her longtime partner, Brad Pitt, and the two are still entangled in an intense custody battle over their children — Vivienne and Knox, 12, Shiloh, 14, Zahara, 16, and Pax, 17. The former couple also share son Maddox who is 19 years old.

Although this is definitely a new step in her career, Angelina is very familiar with playing women who have experienced unimaginable circumstances. She won her first Oscar in 2000 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Girl, Interrupted and earned another nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for the 2008 film Changeling. Both films required so much emotional intensity from Angelina, but there’s no doubt that these last few years have left an indelible impact on the star.

The latest development in Angelina and Brad’s ongoing court case includes the actress having “proof and authority” of domestic violence committed by her former partner, 57. Angelina filed the documents on March 12. Since October 2020, the one-time Hollywood couple’s case has been ongoing in court, as Brad seeks 50/50 custody of the former couple’s children. There have, however, been increasing delays, including the exit of Angelina’s attorney Priya Sopori, who filed a “Notice of Withdrawal of Attorney of Record” with the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 9.

As for her work, though, Angelina is setting her sights on the future and finding the deeper meaning in Those Who Wish Me Dead. “On its surface, it feels like a great thriller, a great adventure across an unusual terrain inside a great fire,” Angelina thoughtfully explained to ET. “Underneath it, it’s a really emotional film. It’s about people who have a great impact on each other and change each other. Emotionally and practically, they go through the fire.”

Those Who Wish Me Dead hits theaters and becomes available to stream on HBO Max on May 14.