Already have an account?
Get back to the

Angelina Jolie Reveals the ‘Truth’ About How Her ‘Family Situation’ Affected Her Career

Focusing on family. While promoting her upcoming movie, Angelina Jolie admitted that she’s had to change things in her career recently, following her 2016 separation from Brad Pitt.

Related: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Ups and Downs Through the Years

“I love directing, but I had a change in my family situation that’s not made it possible for me to direct for a few years,” the Those Who Wish Me Dead star, 45, told Entertainment Weekly in a new interview. “I needed to just do shorter jobs and be home more, so I kind of went back to doing a few acting jobs. That’s really the truth of it.”

Angelina Jolie Reveals Family Situation Has Affected Her Career
Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Knox Leon Jolie-Pitt attend the premiere of ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ on October 9, 2019 in London, England. Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

The actress, and Pitt, 57, split in September 2016 after two years of marriage. While both were declared legally single in 2019, the divorce has not yet been finalized. The Mr. and Mrs. Smith costars are still working on a custody agreement for their children Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, and 12-year-old twins, Knox and Vivienne.

Related: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: A Timeline of Their Relationship

On March 12, Jolie filed documents stating that she and the children are ready to offer “proof and authority in support” of claims of alleged domestic violence. At the time, a source told Us that the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star has “never” laid a hand on any of his children and that the process has “taken a toll on him” in a big way.

Angelina Jolie Reveals Family Situation Has Affected Her Career Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt attend the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards 2015 at The Museum of Modern Art, in New York City. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

“He has taken accountability for his role in the breakdown of the marriage,” the insider noted. “The kids have had endured so much trauma and this is just piling it on, but it’s out of Brad’s control. The time for compromise is over. He is done and won’t be manipulated by her ever again.”

Related: Hollywood's Ugliest Divorces

In September 2020, a second source told Us that the Moneyball actor was seeking “50/50 physical and legal custody of the kids.” He spent both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2020 with Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne, and while the family was originally planning to all be together, “egos have once again derailed the original idea,” the insider said, before adding, “Brad and Angelina are equally responsible for the never-ending drama.”

Angelina Jolie Reveals Family Situation Has Affected Her Career 1
Angelina Jolie Rob Latour/Shutterstock

In February, Jolie admitted that it hasn’t been easy working through everything during an interview with British Vogue.

“The past few years have been pretty hard,” the Maleficent actress said at the time. “I’ve been focusing on healing our family. It’s slowly coming back, like the ice melting and the blood returning to my body.”

Although Jolie said she’s not at her happy place yet, she added, “I hope to be. I’m planning on it.”

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!