Amid Bitter Divorce From Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Says Her Kids Saw Her ‘Pain’ While Working On New Film

Angelina Jolie says her children have seen “the pain” she has tried to hide from them while working together on the set of her new film, Maria.

Maria, which premiered on Aug. 29 at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, is a psychological-biographical drama film that follows opera singer Maria Callas’ final years in the 1970s while living in Paris. Jolie portrays the singer, while Angelina Papadopoulou plays a younger version of her character.

Jolie, 49, revealed that the character has “a lot of pain” that she has channeled on the film set in front of her sons, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, 23, and Pax Jolie-Pitt, 21, who worked as production assistants.

“They’ve, of course, seen me go through a lot of things,” the actress told BBC. “But they hadn’t experienced me expressing a lot of the pain that a parent hides from a child.”

The star’s latest emotional revelation comes days after she spoke about feeling lonely before her bitter court battle with her ex-husband, Brad Pitt. The former A-list couple is in an acrimonious legal battle for their French vineyard. In a recent victory, a judge ruled that Pitt must hand over documents and communications that would prove he was abusive toward his ex-wife and children.

“I have my children I love, but as an adult, I’m often alone,” Jolie told The Sun, comparing herself to her film character. “I find myself identifying with the solitude and loneliness she has.”

Jolie shared how the brothers would give her physical affection and bring cups of tea after her emotional displays. The actress says the experience helped her find a method for being honest about her feelings with her family.

“I also haven’t quite figured out how to live life in a way where I’m on my own; maybe a lot of artists feel that we’re in an open space as a person.”

During a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Jolie discussed how her children helped with the production and filming of Maria.

“They were able to consider the relationships in the film and the violence – things that sometimes you don’t have the opportunity to discuss with your sons, so I felt fortunate,” she said.

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