Angelina Jolie Honors Her Mother at Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Angelina Jolie shared a deeply personal family story while accepting the Maltin Modern Master Award during the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Thursday. The 49-year-old actress honored her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who made significant sacrifices for her family, including staying home with young Jolie and her brother while watching her estranged husband, Jon Voight, win an Oscar.
A Family of Actors
Jolie, born less than a year after her parents separated in 1976, recollected how her mother’s dream of becoming an actor was sidelined. Marcheline, then in her twenties and newly a single parent, watched Voight win Best Actor at the 51st Academy Awards in 1979 for his role in “Coming Home.” Voight had a well-documented affair with actress Stacey Pickren, with whom he co-starred in “Coming Home,” “Lookin’ to Get Out,” and “Runaway Train.”
The mistress was none other than actress Stacey Pickren (L), who co-starred with the 86-year-old Megalopolis star in three films – Coming Home, Lookin’ to Get Out, and Runaway Train
Jolie recounted how her mother’s sacrifice deeply affected her: “It was always just a part of our family history. She was there for me and my brother, and that was her choice. I always wondered how she must have felt that night.”
So when the former Hollywood wildchild won the best supporting actress Oscar in 2000, she immediately called her beloved mother, who died in 2007 at age 56 after an eight-year battle against ovarian and breast cancer
Awards and Personal Triumphs
In 2000, Jolie achieved her own milestone by winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in “Girl, Interrupted.” She promptly contacted her mother to share the triumph: “To get off that stage and call her and say, ‘It’s yours’—and I gave it to her—that was one of the best moments of my life.”
‘To have that moment, to get off that stage and call her and say, ‘It’s yours’ — and I gave it to her — one of the best moments of my life,’ Angelina smiled (pictured in 2001)
Jolie’s dedication to her family extended beyond her personal achievements. In 2002, she legally removed her surname, a gesture that symbolized her independence and move forward. Despite her mother’s complicated past, Jolie maintained a tumultuous but continuing relationship with Voight.
The Character of Divorce and Heartbreak
Marcheline Bertrand’s personal story was not unique. She was a thrice-divorced individual, having cheated on her co-star Timothy Hutton with Billy Bob Thornton, who was entrenched in a relationship with Laura Dern before their surprising elopement in 2000.
For instance, the thrice-divorced mother-of-six cheated on her Playing God co-star Timothy Hutton (2-L) with her Pushing Tin co-star Billy Bob Thornton (R), who was engaged to Laura Dern before they suddenly eloped to Las Vegas in 2000
Similarly, Jolie herself has navigated a complex landscape of relationships, famously falling in love with “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” co-star Brad Pitt while he was married to Jennifer Aniston. They went public three months after Pitt’s legal separation from Aniston in 2005.
Angelina then notoriously fell in love with her Mr. & Mrs. Smith leading man Brad Pitt (2-L) in 2004 while he was still married to wife Jennifer Aniston (R), but they didn’t go public until three months after the couple legally separated in 2005
Jolie’s Recognition and Future Projects
During the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay presented Jolie with the Maltin Modern Master Award, honoring her contributions to the film industry. Jolie, a fashion icon known for her style, was the star at the event in a creamy Brunello Cucinelli silk gown with a matching tailored jacket, and wore Nak Armstrong jewelry, styled by Dena Neustadter Giannini.
On Thursday, Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay presented Jolie with the festival’s highest honor dedicated ‘to individuals who have enriched our culture through accomplishments in the motion picture industry’
The Atelier Jolie founder-designer bared her heavily-tattooed back in a creamy Brunello Cucinelli silk gown with matching tailored jacket and Nak Armstrong jewelry selected by stylist Dena Neustadter Giannini
Looking Ahead
Jolie continues to pursue her craft, with her next project casting her in Pablo Larraín’s biopic on legendary opera singer Maria Callas. Tentatively scheduled for release, the film is highly anticipated, with Jolie undergoing rigorous vocal training to bring Maria Callas to life on screen. The 122-minute drama, with a strong critic and audience approval, places Jolie in fierce competition with other nominees for the best actress award at the Critics’ Choice Awards.
For her titular role in Pablo Larraín’s biopic on legendary opera singer Maria Callas, Angelina is next up for the best actress trophy at the 30th Critics’ Choice Awards, which air this Friday on E!/Peacock
Jolie faces heavy competition against Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo, Emilia Pérez’s Karla Sofía Gascón, Hard Truths’ Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Anora’s Mikey Madison, and The Substance’s Dem