Angelina Jolie Criticizes U.S. While Promoting New Film, Highlights Importance of Open Dialog on Sexuality and Loss
NEW YORK – Actress Angelina Jolie sparked discussion Saturday while promoting her new film, “Couture,” expressing a sentiment that she doesn’t “recognize” the United States and praising the freedom of expression she experiences internationally. The remarks came during a post-screening Q&A session, where jolie also discussed her personal experiences with preventative cancer treatment, the film’s exploration of desire in the context of illness, and a deeply personal tribute to her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand.
Jolie revealed she underwent a double mastectomy about a decade ago after losing her mother and grandmother at a young age,stating,”Those were my choices. I don’t say everybody should do it that way, but it’s important to have the choice.I don’t regret it.” She emphasized the vulnerability felt by those facing cancer, notably women, noting the disease’s impact on self-perception.
The film,Jolie explained,also delivers a message “to anybody who is with a woman they love,” advocating for open communication about desire and sexuality even after a diagnosis. “When I read that [Maxine] was diagnosed, I had an idea where it was gonna go, [but] I certainly didn’t think it was gonna end the way it ends. I didn’t think desire would still be a part of the film. It’s critically important to live and be desirable as a woman,and for those who love a woman to know that.”
Co-star Louis Garrel (“Little Women”) echoed Jolie’s sentiments, criticizing the ofen “pathetic tone” used in films depicting cancer, particularly breast cancer. “It is also connected to desire,” Garrel stated. “We are stranger than that as human beings. Even if somebody lost their breast, it can be more exciting erotically.You have to understand that men can be eroticized in multiple ways.” He urged audiences to reject societal constraints, adding, “Don’t be afraid of anything. The minds of men are more original than what the magazines say.”
The event took a poignant turn when an audience member thanked Jolie for her advocacy for Palestine and “peopel who are voiceless.” The same audience member inquired about the necklace Jolie wore in ”Couture,” which belonged to her mother, Marcheline Bertrand.
Visibly emotional, Jolie shared she wore both the necklace and her mother’s ashes during filming. “I thought about her a lot,” she said. “I think everybody in this room has sat in a hospital room… I wish [my mother] had this community. I wish she were able to speak as openly as I’ve been and that people would respond as graciously as you have.” She concluded by saying Bertrand “would have told Maxine to live every day and focus on life.”