‘I’m lacking in all the skills to be a stay-at-home mother’: Angelina Jolie discusses the challenges of raising her ‘resilient’ children as she poses in elegant cover shoot for British Vogue
Angelia Jolie discussed raising her ‘resilient’ children as she graced the cover of British Vogue’s March issue.
In the new interview, the actress, 45, admitted she doesn’t view herself as ‘a traditional stay-at-home mum’ as she was ‘was never very good at sitting still’, but credited her six kids for ‘helping’ her motherhood journey.
The screen star – who co-parents Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, and 12-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox with ex Brad Pitt – also reflected on ‘healing’ her family following a ‘hard’ few years, and ‘hitting my stride’ in her fifties.
”Well, I was never very good at sitting still’: Angelia Jolie discusses raising her ‘resilient’ children as she graced the cover of British Vogue’s March issue
On juggling her career with looking after her kids, the Tom Raider icon – who posed for an accompanying shoot at her $25million (£18.2million) Los Angeles home – told the publication: ‘Well, I was never very good at sitting still.
‘Even though I wanted to have many children and be a mom, I always imagined it kind of like Jane Goodall, travelling in the middle of the jungle somewhere. I didn’t imagine it in that true, traditional sense.
‘I feel like I’m lacking in all the skills to be a traditional stay-at-home mom. I’m managing through it because the children are quite resilient, and they’re helping me, but I’m not good at it at all.’
The humanitarian has been single ever since she separated from fellow thespian Brad, 57, in September 2016, following two years of marriage and a 12-year relationship.
‘I’m not good at it at all’: The actress, 45, admitted she doesn’t view herself as ‘a traditional stay-at-home mum’ as she touched on her ‘hard’ few years and approaching her fifties
‘They’re helping me’: The screen star co-parents Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, and 12-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox (pictured in 2019) with ex Brad Pitt
The former couple are said to be ‘in a better place’ after battling over finances and the custody of their children.
Confessing she ‘doesn’t know’ whether she’s currently happy, Angelina insisted she has a positive outlook on the future.
The Girl, Interrupted star shared: ‘The past few years have been pretty hard. I’ve been focusing on healing our family. It’s slowly coming back, like the ice melting and the blood returning to my body.
‘I’m looking forward to my fifties – I feel that I’m gonna hit my stride in my fifties. Though we were on the trampoline the other day, and the children said, ”No, Mom, don’t do that. You’ll hurt yourself.” And I thought, ”God, isn’t that funny?”
‘The past few years have been pretty hard’: The humanitarian has been single ever since she separated from fellow thespian Brad, 57, in September 2016 (pictured in 2011)
‘There was a day I was an action star, and now the kids are telling me to get off the trampoline because I’ll hurt myself.’
On championing the ‘spirit of the youth’, the filmmaker added: ‘Maybe it’s just the young punk in me but I like the spirit of the youth. I believe they can see right and wrong with more clarity.
‘I see a lot of older people making excuses for certain behaviours, and it tends to be the younger person who is quicker to say, ”But this is simply wrong, and we stand against it.” I’ve wanted to remain that person.’
The Unbroken star also touched on her role as the special envoy from the UN Refugee Agency.
‘I’ve been focusing on healing our family’: The former couple are said to be ‘in a better place’ after battling over finances and the custody of their children (pictured in 2015)
Angelina shared: ‘I started in my early twenties, putting on my boots and backpack, and going out to try and figure out what the hell was going on in the world.
‘I tried to give myself a broader education than I’d had at school. I grew up in a very empty place, in many ways, so had to go to find a wider understanding.’
The activist went on to admit she believes the perception of refugees has ‘worsened’ over time, explaining: ‘We speak as if refugees are a burden. But they’ve had to adapt. They have a different skill set, a different look in their eye.
‘They’ve confronted their own humanity in such a profound way. They’ve stood up to oppression. We should honour their fight. Honour the people who’ve fled bombs and protected their kids.’
‘I’m gonna hit my stride in my fifties’: Confessing she ‘doesn’t know’ whether she’s happy, the Girl, Interrupted star insisted she has a positive outlook on the future (pictured in 2019)
Stressing the importance of teaching global citizenship to her kids, she added: ‘They are from across the globe. When I see Mad in Cambodia, it’s his home.
‘He is a Cambodian man, and at the same time, he is also an American citizen and a global citizen. But it’s not just important for him to go there, it’s important for his siblings to go there, too.
Out soon! See the full feature in the March issue of British Vogue from February 5
‘We’ve been very blessed to have a family of different cultures and races. We are all learning from each other.’
The Maleficent star first took on her humanitarian duties following her trip to Cambodia for Tomb Raider back in 2000.
She visited the Asian country – where she met and subsequently adopted Maddox with ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton – for a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) field mission.
The TV and film star later travelled to Pakistan, where she donated $1 million (£821,980) in response to an emergency appeal.
Angelina – who co-founded the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative nine years ago – has since taken a hands-on approach in promoting a number of causes, including education, women’s rights and conservation.
All 27 international Vogues are dedicating their March issues to Creativity. Each issue is a celebration of those who encourage us to look at life in a new way, featuring portfolios of the brightest young stars in fashion, music, art and film, alongside inspiring editorials and extraordinary fashion through each Vogue’s local lens.
See the full feature in the March issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands Friday 5th February.
Important: The TV and film star has taken a hands-on approach in her humanitarian duties ever since her trip to Cambodia for Tomb Raider back in 2000 (pictured in Maddox in 2003)
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