Is Angelina Jolie Quitting Acting? She Explains Why She Wants to Leave Hollywood

The Academy Award-winner hinted that she may want to retire from acting in the future in a recent interview. Find out what Angelina Jolie has said about stepping away from the entertainment business in the past.

Angelina Jolie has been a beloved actress and critically acclaimed star for decades. She’s starred in classic movies, like Girl, Interrupted, Changeling, and Salt, as well as hits like Maleficent. Throughout her career, she’s earned one Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Girl, Interrupted, and three Golden Globes. Despite having a long and impressive career in the movie business, Angelina has recently hinted that she may be interested in taking a step back from acting. Find out what she’s said about leaving Hollywood here.

What Has Angelina Jolie Said About Leaving Hollywood?

Angelina’s parents Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand are both successful actors themselves, and she’s grown up around the entertainment industry. She was also married to fellow actor Brad Pitt from 2014 to 2019. The Changeling star opened up about how her divorce from Brad has limited her ability to travel as much in a December 2023 WSJ Magazine profile. “It’s part of what happened after my divorce — I lost the ability to live and travel as freely,” she said.

She admitted that once her legal battles with the Fight Club star are settled, Angelina admitted that she wanted to leave Hollywood, hinting that she was interested in going to Cambodia. “I will move when I can,” she explained. “I grew up in quite a shallow place. Of all the places in the world, Hollywood is not a healthy place. So you seek authenticity.”

Why Has Angelina Cut Back on Acting?

Besides speaking about leaving Hollywood, Angelina also admitted that she probably wouldn’t have pursued a career as an actress if she was starting fresh today. “I never bought into it as significant or important,” she told WSJ. “I wouldn’t be an actress today. … When I was starting out, it wasn’t as much of an expectation to be as public, to share so much.”

Angelina did reveal that she began to slow down a bit in taking on roles in 2016 in a Vogue interview in September 2023. She said that she began “only taking jobs that didn’t require long shoots,” and shared her reasons why. “I feel a bit down these days. I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way, which I don’t want to get into,” she said. “We had a lot of healing to do. We’re still finding our footing.”

What Other Projects Does She Want to Focus On?

In her WSJ piece, Angelina spoke about changing gears toward her clothing company Atelier Jolie. She also suggested that she was interested in educational events at the brand’s store. “I’ll probably lose money, maybe even for a while,” she told WSJ. “If I can eventually put into practice some things that I think are improvements and I just break even, that’s a huge victory.”

What Movies Does Angelina Have Coming Up?

While she opened up about wanting to take a step away from Hollywood, the actress does have a few projects still on the docket. In the WSJ interview, she confirmed that she’d return for a third Maleficent film. She’s also set to appear in Maria, Every Note Played, and Maude v Maude, according to her IMDb. She’s also lending her voice to Kung Fu Panda 4.