Angelina Jolie is using her platform not only to promote her latest film but also to share her thoughts on the state of the world.
While attending the San Sebastián Film Festival for the premiere of Couture, the Academy Award winner opened up about her concerns over the current sociopolitical climate in the United States.
“It’s obviously a very difficult question,” Jolie said when asked about the unrest back home.
“Only to say that I love my country, but I don’t, at this time, recognize my country. I’ve always lived internationally, my family is international, my friends, my life,” she said.
Jolie added, “My worldview is equal, united, international, so anything anywhere that divides or, of course, limits personal expressions and freedoms from anyone, I think, is very dangerous.”
The actress and humanitarian stressed the importance of being mindful in such times.
“These are such serious times that we have to be careful not to say things casually, so I’ll be careful during a press conference, but to say that, of course, like all of you and everyone watching, these are very, very heavy times we are living in together,” she added.
Jolie was at the festival to promote Couture, directed by Alice Winocour, which tells the story of three women from Ukraine, France, and Sudan leading up to a Paris fashion show.
The drama, which premiered at TIFF, features Jolie in a central role.
Angelina Jolie reflects on learning French for ‘Couture’
In a separate interview with Deadline, the actress also shared her experience preparing for the French-speaking role.
She admitted she speaks “very little” French and is “super shy” about using it.
“I understand more than I can speak,” Jolie said, explaining that she had been taking classes for months to feel more comfortable with the language.
She revealed that she even dubbed her lines in French for the film, something she had never done before.
“The months leading up to, we did classes not just for the lines but just to be speaking as well,” she noted, adding that her French has “improved.”
Reflecting on what drew her to the project, Jolie said the script itself made the challenge easier.
“When something is well-written whether it’s in another language or in English, it just comes forward easily,” she explained, calling Couture “very well-written” and a story that carried special meaning for her.
