Did you watch the 60 Minutes profile on Angelina Jolie last night?
Let’s start with the shallow and superficial first, shall we? Because, obviously, that’s where I live.
Her face. It’s ridiculous. As in obscenely beautiful. And it wasn’t even her best. It was barely her best. And she was shiny. Like, if it was anyone else, they would have had the lighting rigged and the makeup artist dabbing her t-zone every five minutes. Please. The Jolie doesn’t need the powder.
But she could use some better clothes. Looking at that shiny green blouse made me angry. It’s supposed to be because she doesn’t care about clothes. Fine. Then put on a hoodie and get rid of the heels.
As for the interview itself, in service of In The Land Of Blood And Honey, these days, there isn’t much insight from an Angelina Jolie interview. She loves her kids, there is suffering the world, she pays no attention to the sh-t we say about her, she doesn’t self-harm anymore, and she’s still a bad girl but only for Brad which... fine, but can we get a hit of some Pitt Porn because it’s been way too long.
Do I think she’s not f-cked up anymore? Of course not. During My Week With Marilyn the other day, my friend Darren leaned over to me at one point and noted, “That’s why they do what they do and we do what we do. They’re nuts.” When you get to that level of fame, that level of Movie Star, it’s a pre-requisite. Marilyn was CRAZY. Angelina Jolie is crazy too. Her brand of crazy is different and not so devastating, sure. But it’s there. For all actors it’s there. When they become supernovas, it’s only exponentially BIGGER.
So does that mean she’s drinking herself into a blackout while her children play listlessly upstairs? Of course not. Crazy doesn’t necessarily mean whatever the tabloids are telling you on the latest cover. The permutations of celebrity crazy can vary. The common denominator is extreme narcissism. With Angelina Jolie it’s control and competition motivated by extreme narcissism. And it’s fascinating. It’s also why I love her.
Is there opportunity then, even for someone as savvy on media manipulation as the Jolie, to have moments of candour? I’ve heard from several of you already this morning - some were moved by her getting choked up when discussing her mother, other hardasses didn’t buy it. Me, I’m not ready yet to believe that a woman who lost her mother at 56, so young, too young, would use that in a moment of exploitation. Perhaps it’s because I have recently come close to losing my own mother, also so young, too young, at 61, and have had to acclimate to a new reality where home is the hospital for her for the last 8 months and likely for another 8 months, when learning to walk again and the simple act of standing up by herself is cause for celebration; the inevitable reflection that comes with having to accept the Worst Case Scenario, that Angelina Jolie continues to confront, makes it impossible for me to doubt the sincerity of her emotion. She had the best mother. I have the best mother too. And so I can’t question her sadness in remembering her best mother.
Can we reserve the eyerolling instead for her Brad Pitt namechecking?
“As long as Brad thinks I’m beautiful...”
Really? If we have to go there, the corn route, can’t we be a little more creative? Like, “Brad thinks I’m beautiful even if I don’t spend hours in the sun, and get my hair blown out every day”. Come on!
And what of Brad now?
Well, he spent part of the weekend trying to impress the Academy. There was a Moneyball screening (with Jonah Hill) yesterday. And that has EVERYTHING to do with an attempt at a nomination.
I’ve attached the Jolie 60 Minutes interview below if you didn’t get a chance to watch. There are also 2 supplementary videos with footage that didn’t make it to air. Save it for lunch.
