"Being a parent is everything." Angelina Jolie says motherhood saves her from loneliness
Angelina Jolie, who recently brought her youngest son out into public for the first time in a long time, told The Sunday Times in an interview what role family and children play in her life.
"I don't feel lonely because I have a family. My job is not everything. Being a parent is everything," said the 49-year-old actress, comparing herself to opera singer Maria Callas, who died alone.
Jolie previously said that with the advent of her children, she stopped being the center of her life. The star said that sometimes she takes her children with her to the set and they see her emotions from acting, which she hides in everyday life. "I try to hide my pain and sorrow from them. So when one day on the set they heard me crying in front of the camera, it was a first for them."
The actress, who has previously struggled with mental health issues, also admitted that her children have saved her from falling: "I think I would have gone down the darkest path if I hadn't wanted to live for them," she explained. "I try to raise them to be the best version of themselves."
Jolie has six children: adopted 23-year-old Maddox, 20-year-old Pax and 19-year-old Zahara, as well as biological 18-year-old Shiloh and 16-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne from her ex-husband Brad Pitt. The couple broke up in 2016, but the divorce was finalized only this summer. According to the press, Jolie retained primary custody of the three children until they turned 18, and Pitt has visitation rights. At the same time, insiders report that the actor only sees the children on the red carpet: the Internet believes that Jolie is turning the children against their father in order to get revenge on him. Due to disagreements with Angelina, the actor's parents do not communicate with their grandchildren either.
Jolie herself has not officially dated anyone since her breakup with Pitt, although she has been seen in the company of actors Jared Leto and Tom Hiddleston, as well as singer The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye). Last summer, she was spotted in Venice with rapper Akala (Kingsley Daley), with whom she has been seen together on numerous occasions since then, but insiders claim that they are just friends.