The candid comments came as the actress reflected on balancing motherhood with rediscovering herself after nearly a decade focused on raising her family.
Angelina Jolie Opens Up About Life After Her Divorce
Jolie’s personal reflection emerged during a conversation about “Couture,” the upcoming drama directed by Alice Winocour. In the picture, she portrays American filmmaker Maxine Walker, whose life is upended after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis while in Paris for Fashion Week. The role explores identity, relationships and resilience, themes that prompted Jolie to speak openly about her own life away from Hollywood.
Discussing one of the movie’s romantic storylines, the actress acknowledged that it also challenged the way she has viewed her own life in recent years. “To be candid, I haven’t dated since I divorced a decade ago,” she said. “So I kind of get in my head that that aspect of me is not centered in my life if I’m focusing on my children, my family.”
Jolie explained that stepping into Maxine’s shoes reminded her those parts of life do not have to compete with one another. Reflecting on her character, she shared, “It took me a second to kind of say, well, she can also love her daughter and be dedicated to her daughter and also need this as a woman and receive this as a woman.”
The actress also revealed that her children have encouraged her to reconnect with parts of herself beyond motherhood. “I think they kind of want me now to not just be ‘Mom,'” she said, later adding, “I have to live again. Be free again.”
Jolie and Pitt were together for 12 years after meeting on the set of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” They married in 2014 before Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. Although both were declared legally single in 2019, disputes over custody and the former couple’s French winery continued for years, with reports confirming their long-running divorce litigation was finally settled in December 2024.