Angelina Jolie Says ‘I Wouldn’t Be an Actress Today’ and Plans to Leave Los Angeles: ‘Hollywood Is Not a Healthy Place’
Angelina Jolie revealed that she will not pursue a career in Hollywood if she joins the industry in 2023.
The 48-year-old actress told The Wall Street Journal that she would consider acting but would stay away from Tinseltown due to the public scrutiny that comes with being a Hollywood star.
“I wouldn’t be an actress today,” Jolie said. “When I was starting out, it wasn’t as much of an expectation to be as public, to share so much.”
“Because I grew up around Hollywood, I was never very impressed with it,” Jolie said. “I never bought into it as significant or important.”
Being under intense public scrutiny for well over two decades has seemingly taken its toll on Jolie, who found herself even more of a tabloid target after she divorced Brad Pitt seven years ago. The stress got so bad that she noticed in 2018, during the filming of her Disney sequel “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” that her voice had changed registers from when she first played the fairy tale villain.
“My body reacts very strongly to stress,” Jolie said. “My blood sugar goes up and down. I suddenly had Bell’s palsy six months before my divorce.”
Jolie explained that she never reads any media coverage about her, saying, “I’ve just been around so long and there’s been everything said.”
During her interview, Jolie also revealed that she plans to move out of Los Angeles eventually and spend more time at her home in Cambodia.
“It’s part of what happened after my divorce. I lost the ability to live and travel as freely. I will move when I can,” she said.
“I grew up in quite a shallow place,” Jolie added. “Of all the places in the world, Hollywood is not a healthy place. So you seek authenticity.”
Looking back on her filmography, she noted a change that occurred seven years ago, around the time of her divorce, when she concentrated on roles that required shorter shoots. Jolie emphasizes a ten-year detachment with herself while remaining cautious about personal issues, even though she is feeling a little sad.