Angelina Jolie’s life has been a spectacular array of wild relationships, high-profile marriages, and a whirlwind romance with the most famous actor in the world turned awry after 16 long years together. But through it all, the actress has maintained her unquestioning and stoic love for the only objects of her immovable affection: her children. And growing into the role of a mother and a parent after being so actively vocal against the idea was a turning point in the life of the Eternals actress. But the road to motherhood was one paved by many a fault and doubt.
Angelina Jolie Felt Duty Bound To Clint Eastwood’s Horror
Clint Eastwood, the legendary Western actor who reigned supreme over the film and entertainment industry of the 60s and 70s before it was overtaken by action flicks is as relevant today in Hollywood as he was half a century ago. In his third act, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly actor transitioned into a more inclusive role behind the lens, directing movies ranging from neo-Western to crime thrillers. One of his more modernist forays was Changeling which followed the story of a kidnapped child returned home to the mother only for the latter to begin suspecting that the child is not her own.
Angelina Jolie signed on to take on the role of the bereaved mother going through the emotional turmoil of having to grieve the loss of her son and the eventual doubt and shock of coming to realize the child that came back may be different from the one who was taken. To supersede the paralyzing feeling of loss with the eventual horror of doubting and rejecting one’s own children terrorized Jolie but fascinated her at the same time to the extent that she felt a sense of duty toward portraying the mother in Eastwood’s film.
The role, based on a true story that rocked California in the 20s and exposed the flaws in the legal system, not only called out to her but bound itself to her identity as a mother, reaffirming her love and overwhelming protectiveness towards her children.
Clint Eastwood Responsible For Angelina Jolie’s Pregnancy?
For a movie star of such epic proportions as Angelina Jolie, the only regret can be chalked up to not working with directors from the yesteryears of Hollywood after having accomplished almost every genre in the modern era of cinema and exhausted almost every director and their resources in the industry. But for Jolie, even that is an impossibility after having worked with Clint Eastwood in Changeling.
However, before Angelina Jolie became a proud mother of six, she had completely sworn off the idea of a natural pregnancy as she claimed, “I never felt that it was the right thing to do.” It only took the right partner to change her mind. While filming the 2008 film with Eastwood, Jolie claimed:
“I got pregnant right in the middle of [filming Changeling] and I think partially because of it. I was so emotional about children that I think something in me kicked into gear.”
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie separated in 2016 after the actress filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Pitt’s alcoholism abuse and anger issues were brought to the forefront of the messy affair as the pair battled over the custody of their children and their properties across the world.