Angelina Jolie.
Credit: Reuters Photo
New York: Oscar winner Angelina Jolie says she probably wouldn't pursue acting as a career if she was just starting out in the industry today.
Born to actor parents Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, the 48-year-old said she "really have a social life" living in Los Angeles since every time she leaves her house, she is subjected to unwanted attention by the paparazzi, which is also one of the reasons why she eventually wants to move from Hollywood.
"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," Jolie told the Wall Street Journal Magazine.
"It's part of what happened after my divorce. I lost the ability to live and travel as freely," she said referring to the high-profile and bitter separation from her Mr & Mrs Smith co-star and former husband Brad Pitt.
In the interview, Jolie also noted that she hopes to spend more time at her home in Cambodia, from where her adoptive son Maddox (22) hails from. "I will move when I can," she added.
Jolie made her screen debut as a child alongside Voight in 1982's Lookin' to Get Out and went on to carve her niche as a leading actor with films such as her Oscar-winning turn in Girl, Interrupted, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Salt, A Mighty Heart and Maleficent.
The actor, also known for her humanitarian efforts, admitted that she "was never very impressed" with Hollywood.
"I never bought into it as significant or important. 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," she said, adding fame post her Oscar win led to depression and at times, suicidal thoughts.
Being in the public eye for almost all her life, Jolie said the stress post her separation from Pitt in 2016 got so bad that during shooting of the Disney sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil her voice had changed registers from when she first played the titular fairy tale villain.
"My body reacts very strongly to stress. My blood sugar goes up and down. I suddenly had Bell's palsy six months before my divorce," she added.
Her last screen appearance was 2021's Eternals.