Angelina Jolie Details “Very Dark” Period Away From Hollywood
Angelina Jolie, a global icon and Oscar-winning actress, is making a highly anticipated comeback to acting with her role in the biographical film Maria, directed by Pablo Larrain. This film has already garnered significant attention, with Jolie earning nominations for the 2025 Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for her portrayal of Maria Callas, the legendary opera singer. However, Jolie’s return to the spotlight follows a prolonged and very dark period away from Hollywood, during which she focused on personal growth and healing.
In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair published on December 19, 2024, Jolie opened up about the years-long hiatus she took from the entertainment industry. The actress candidly admitted that her time away from acting was due to various personal challenges. “I went very dark for reasons I’d rather not explain, but I didn’t have a lot of light and life within me,” Jolie shared. “Your light’s dim.”
Angelina Jolie’s Struggles During Her Hiatus
The 49-year-old star, who shares six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt—Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox—explained that her break from Hollywood wasn’t just a creative choice but also a practical decision. She needed to be more present at home and could not commit to long projects during this period. “The choice of what to work on and when was not a creative choice, often, the last few years, but sometimes the practical choice,” Jolie revealed.
Legal Battles and Emotional Healing
During her hiatus, Jolie was also embroiled in intense legal battles with Pitt concerning their divorce, custody of their children, and ownership of Château Miraval, their former French vineyard. This time was undoubtedly a challenging chapter for Jolie, but she credits her involvement in Maria for helping her “come alive again.” “Maria was the beginning of starting to come alive again,” she said. “I needed a lot of kind people around me to hold my hand.”
The experience of working on Maria allowed Jolie to reenter the world of acting with the support of creative professionals. She stressed the importance of working with kind people, emphasizing that such collaboration allowed her to regain her passion for acting and life itself. “At the end of the day, we’re very fortunate to do what we do, and we are spending a lot of time with big, deep, emotional feelings,” she explained. “If you don’t do that with people who you’re safe with, it can affect you in very bad ways.”
Jolie’s Return to Work and Family Involvement
Before Maria, Jolie’s last film appearance was in Marvel’s Eternals, released in 2021. During her hiatus from acting, Jolie focused on other projects, including co-producing the Broadway musical The Outsiders and directing the war drama Without Blood, which premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
“I wasn’t myself for a while, so I wasn’t able to give as much to my work for a few years,” Jolie confessed. “To feel like I could work again and communicate and to be with nice people—so much of what I do is collaboration with other artists. When it goes well, you’re creating together. When you’re with nice people and creative people, you learn so much about yourself and about life.”
Additionally, Jolie’s children have also started taking on roles within the entertainment industry. Her daughter Vivienne worked as her assistant during the production of The Outsiders, while her sons Maddox and Pax served as production assistants on Maria.
Angelina Jolie’s journey through this “very dark” period in her life reflects both the personal and professional challenges she has faced. Her comeback in Maria marks a significant moment of healing and growth. With a renewed sense of purpose and surrounded by a supportive team, Jolie is back and more resilient than ever. As she continues to thrive in both her professional and personal life, fans eagerly anticipate her future roles and the path she will carve moving forward in Hollywood.
For more updates on Angelina Jolie’s career and personal life, be sure to stay tuned!
