CULTURE

Things Angelina Jolie Is Over Right Now: Being Single, Not Acting, Doing Press

She also confirms 'Maleficent 2' is coming.


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Todd Williamson/Getty Images

Angelina Jolie is excused for being a little exhausted right now. She’s had a rough year. Not only is the one-year anniversary of the public announcement of her split from Brad Pitt fast approaching, but she’s also spent the year adjusting to life as a single mother, battling further health scares (including more preventative surgery and a bout with Bell’s palsy). Amidst all this she’s also had to finish and promote her latest film as a director, First They Killed My Father, which has required to talk publicly about all of this in detail.

“This is the first time I have done this for a long time. It’s not easy,” she said of the reality of doing interviews in a new interview with The Telegraph. “I am a little shy this time, because I am not as strong inside as I have been in the past.”

That being said, it’s not like she’s avoiding the elephant in the room either in the few interviews she has done. She talked candidly, albeit briefly, about her split from Pitt last month in an interview with Vanity Fair, and talks once again about her post-separation life in her recent interview.

“It’s been difficult,” she said. “I don’t enjoy being single. It’s not something I wanted. There’s nothing nice about it. It’s just hard. Sometimes maybe it appears I am pulling it all together, but really I am just trying to get through my days. Emotionally it’s been a very difficult year and I have had some other health issues. So my health is something I have to monitor.”

Once First They Killed My Father hits Netflix on September 15th, she does plan to take a bit of a break, settle further into her family’s new Los Angeles home, and try to figure out how to have fun again.

“Maybe now that my kids are growing up I am starting to realize that my own sense of play has been put on hold for a while,” she said. “And maybe them hitting their teens is going to bring out a little more fun in mom.” She laughs. “So maybe I am going back. It may be time.”

During a Q&A session following a screening of her film at the Telluride Film Festival, she also hinted that it may be time to return to acting.

“Right now, I don’t have anything to direct that I feel passionate about like this, so I’ll do some acting,” she said according to *Page Six*. “I’ve taken over a year off now, because of my family situation, to take care of my kids.”

“When I feel it’s time for me to go back to work, I’ll be able to go back to work. I’ve been needed at home. I hope [to work again] in the months to come.”

Jolie doesn’t appear onscreen in Father, and, aside from her voice role in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, hasn’t acted since her own 2015 film By The Sea.

Maleficent 2, however, is in the works, and Jolie is already involved in the creative process.

“We have been working on the script and this is going to be a really strong sequel,” she told Deadline.

No release date has been announced for the Disney sequel, so it’s not clear if that may be the film that gets Jolie to return to acting in “the months to come.”

There’s also rumors of several other projects that Jolie is either interested in or whose producers are interested in Jolie. Executives behind Universal’s Dark Universe monster franchise really, really hope to lure Jolie to play the Bride of Frankenstein in a stand-alone film, but there’s no update on that. There’s also been reports that Jolie is interested in two other projects, one involving World War II spy Christine Granville and the other a historical romance about Catherine the Great. Though, we’re sure she could have just about any part in Hollywood she wants when she does decide to return.

Related: Post-Separation, Angelina Jolie Tried to Be Normal But Just Couldn’t

Angelina Jolie Has a History of Keeping It Simple on the Red Carpet

In early 1999, Jolie appeared in a glitzy, curve-skimming halter dress, setting off a series of neutral-hued but attention-grabbing red carpet looks.

Angelina Jolie in Randolph Duke at the 56th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 1999. Photo by Jim Smeal/WireImage.

Looking very early-naughts in an ivory suit, Jolie experimented with the menswear trend in 2011.

Angelina Jolie in Dolce & Gabbana at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, March 2001. Photo by KMazur/WireImage.

She’s always had a penchant for the classic movie star silhouettes, though. They say if you dress the part…

Angelina Jolie in Marc Bower at the 76th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 2004. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

This year’s Cannes Film Festival red carpet was all about the canary yellow gown, but Jolie proves she’s a decade ahead of the curve.

Angelina Jolie in Emanuel Ungaro at the premiere of Ocean’s 13 at the 60th annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 2007. Photo by Pool Benainous/Hounsfield/Legrand/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.

A hint of that brief flash of color showed up again two years later on the red carpet of the British Academy Film Awards.

Angelina Jolie in Armani Privé at the British Academy Film Awards in London, England, February 2009. Photo by Jon Furniss/WireImage.

The top-and-skirt gown combined with a matching velvet wrap gives the actress an older aura; she’s clearly the same red carpet presence as 10 years prior, but a bit more seasoned.

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace at the premiere of The Tourist in Madrid, Spain, December 2010. Photo by Getty Images.

A rare flash of color suits her — they say green is the toughest color, but Jolie pulls off this emerald tone with verve.

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace at the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 2011. Photo by Evan Agostini/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank.

Later the same year, Jolie stepped out in a blood-orange Jenny Packham creation. It’s her color period.

Angelina Jolie in Jenny Packham at the premiere of The Tree of Life in Los Angeles, California, May 2011. Photo by Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic.

Jolie’s velvet, thigh-high slit Oscars gown stopped the red carpet in 2012; it still might be her best red carpet look ever. (And, once again, with velvet returning to the fore of fashion this year, Jolie proves she’s way ahead of the fashion world.)

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace at the 84th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 2012. Photo by Getty Images.

Every actress has a Saint Laurent tux phase, and Jolie’s hit around 2012.

Angelina Jolie in Saint Laurent at the British Academy Film Awards in London, England, February 2014. Photo by Getty Images.

While her previous “experimental” looks had involved a pop of color, here, Jolie opts for a rare sighting of pattern on the red carpet.

Angelina Jolie in Gucci Première at the world premiere of Unbroken in Sydney, Australia, November 2014. Photo by Getty Images.

… But for another premiere later the same year, it was back to business as usual in a sleek but conservative white cocktail dress.

Angelina Jolie in Ralph & Russo at the U.K. premiere of Unbroken in London, England, November 2014. Photo by Getty Images.

Though she frequently opts for a polished tumble of hair, here, Jolie keeps hair and makeup neutral, pairing a minimalist look with an equally minimalist Tom Ford gown.

Angelina Jolie in Tom Ford at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards in New York, New York, November 2015. Photo by Getty Images.

Classic, classic Angie returns for the premiere of her directorial effort — because even after 20 years of red carpets, some things never change.

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace at the premiere of By the Sea at AFI Fest in Hollywood, California, November 2015. Photo by Getty Images.

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