Roughly one year after court filings revealed disturbing abuse allegations against her ex-husband Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie says there was “a lot of healing to do.” In a new profile in Vogue, Jolie, promoting her new fashion line, acknowledged that she took a deliberate break from acting. Seven years ago, she began “only taking jobs that didn’t require long shoots,” and, in her words, she and her family are “still finding our footing.”
Last October, as a legal battle between Pitt and Jolie over their winery broke down when Jolie refused to sign an NDA, court papers exposed the depths of Jolie’s allegations. The filings describe a violent plane ride from France to California in September 2016, with Pitt choking, striking, grabbing, and pouring alcohol on Jolie and her children. Jolie filed for divorce days later.
The conversation with Vogue veered toward Jolie’s personal life while discussing her fashion philosophy. She says:
Sometimes the way you dress says, ‘Don’t mess with me—I’ve got my armor on. But I want a woman to feel safe enough that she can be soft. After I went through something where I was hurt, I had a therapist ask if I would try wearing a flowing garment. Sounds silly, but I assumed that pants and boots projected a ‘tougher’ look, a stronger me. But was I strong enough to be soft? At the time, no. I felt vulnerable. Now I wonder if I don’t know what my style is because I’m still understanding who I am at 48. I guess I’m in transition as a person.
[…]
I feel a bit down these days. I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way, which I don’t want to get into.
Since 2016, Jolie has made several movies, including a Maleficent sequel and Marvel’s Eternals. She also starred in Taylor Sheridan’s forest fire watcher thriller, Those Who Wish Me Dead. However, Pitt’s star continued to rise, starring in hits like Bullet Train and Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, which won him his first Oscar for acting.