Straight from the heart

Just months after portraying a woman who lost someone she loved, Angelina experienced loss herself. Her mother Marcheline Bertrand died in January after a 7-year battle with cancer.

She’s largely kept her sadness away from the public eye, but it’s clear Angelina is still mourning her mother’s death. She tries to deflect a heavy heart by talking about “A Mighty Heart.”

Jolie: It’s a part of life and then you talk about a film like this.  When I lost my mom, it’s a natural thing for a child to lose a parent.  I lost my mom too young but it happened. And I’m happy she’s out of pain, ‘cause I love her and she’s my friend. Mariane lost her husband in a way that is not natural and is unfair.  And that is—that in comparison, you know, that the thought of that I think, well, there’s really nothing to say about it.  It’s just something to remember.

She remembers, too, what made her the woman she’s become.

Curry: My sense is that you got this thing from somebody, from somewhere (and I’m thinking it might be your mother now), this incredible sense of wanting to do good to be useful.. to something that’s right.  My sense from reading about your mother is that that was her.

Jolie: She was.

Curry: Did she teach you this?

Jolie: Yeah.

Curry: Where did you get this?

Jolie: If I am even a sliver of the woman my mother was, you know, she was an extraordinary—just so full of kindness and love.  And I’m—would just—she was one of those women who would spend weeks to plan the right birthday party.  And to write or you know, four drafts to get the right birthday card ready that said all those things that were emotional and you could say them and that meant.

She lived her life to be a mom. Was just kind.  And really taught me in her passing, the strength of that. That is the most important thing to be.

Curry: It’s interesting.  When you lose your mother, you don’t have anything to push up against anymore, anyone to rebel against.  I know with my mother I was always rebelling against her.  When she finally left, it was, “Oh, okay...”

Jolie: I never rebelled against my mom...

Curry: And all of a sudden—well, for me it was all of a sudden I started to listen to the things that she told me to do that I was always saying, “No, I’m not gonna do it.”  Then all of a sudden when she left I was like, “Okay.”

Jolie: Yeah. I never save things and I never take pictures.  And that person, I wanna live in the moment.  I don’t wanna be focusing on the past ‘cause my mom was very focused—“Remember when you were four and you did this or we lived there?”  And I’m like, “Gotta live in the future.  Gotta live in the future.” 

And then the amount of time she’d take to make a birthday party or an Easter basket. It used to drive me crazy.  I used to think “How can you do that? It’s a basket, you know?” 

This Easter I spent so much time. (LAUGHTER) Like make the biggest baskets.  I obsessed on it… out of just somehow an understanding of there is nothing more important right now going on in my life than this Easter basket.

Curry: And so when your children saw them they lit up?

Jolie: Yeah...forever.  They played with us all morning.  They laughed.  We had a great time making them together.  It was important.  It was a lovely—it was great, you know?  Everything else stopped to do that.  And that’s my mom.

MORE FROM JOLIE INTERVIEW

Jolie interview Section Front

Angelina Jolie on film, family, and the future Jolie: I have a lot to be happy about Pitt on rebuilding New Orleans, fatherhood Pitt on building an eco-friendly New Orleans Angelina was 'very, very nervous' about new role Jolie, Pitt donate $100,000 to Pearl foundation Newsweek: Angelina Jolie on Refugees and Fame Angelina Jolie commits to world’s children Brangelina won't marry until all couples can Jolie interview Section Front   Add Jolie interview headlines to your news reader: