The real reason Angelina Jolie returned to acting after her Brad Pitt divorce
Angelina Jolie says her 2016 split from Brad Pitt jolted her back to acting after thinking she was done with Hollywood. The Oscar winner reflects on the breakup that ended a 12-year relationship and pushed her to restart her career.
If you remember when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were the golden couple of Hollywood, you probably also remember the absolute circus that started the moment she filed for divorce back in 2016. It was one of those celebrity splits that absolutely everyone had an opinion on. Now, years down the line, Jolie has been giving a bit of a behind-the-scenes peek at what really happened after her world exploded, especially when it comes to her career moves.
From Humanitarian to, Well, Necessary Blockbusters
Before things went pear-shaped with Brad Pitt, Jolie was easing off the whole acting treadmill. She'd taken to directing and was diving headfirst into her humanitarian causes like she was prepping for a full-time gig at the UN. She seemed fairly set on not doing the run-of-the-mill Hollywood cycle anymore.
But according to what she told Variety, Angelina didn't really get a choice in sticking to that plan. Divorce, as it turns out, is expensive, and raising six kids on your own isn't cheap – shocking, I know.
Here's what she had to say about her supposed 'retirement' from acting:
'I had kind of quit acting before my divorce. I was focusing on directing, and I thought I’d be doing my international work. But then, suddenly, the only way to be home more and for short periods of time, being away, or to make a good amount of money, was to go back to acting. I was only taking things that were short or close by, or I could take [my children].'
So rather than an artistic comeback, it was more a case of necessity meets practicality. She needed the money, she had to stay reasonably local, and films that fit around her family's situation won out.
Getting Her Fight Back (with a Bit of Help from Her Kids)
Another nugget she shared: Jolie openly admits her 'fighting spirit' took a hit during and after the divorce. Completely understandable, really, when your private life is splashed across every screen and magazine rack in the world. According to her, it was her older children who helped her get back on her feet, encouraging her to fight for herself again.
Ongoing Legal Wrangling – and the Kids Take Sides
Even though Jolie and Pitt finally wrapped up their divorce settlement on 30 December 2024 (yes, that recent), they’re still at each other’s throats over their sprawling, multi-million-pound French winery. That legal mess is far from over. What's arguably more dramatic: all six of their children — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox — have dropped their father’s surname and are using Jolie instead. That’s not exactly subtle.
- Split filed: 2016
- Officially together: 12 years, married for just over 2
- Divorce finalised: 30 December 2024
- Children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, Knox (all now publicly going by Jolie)
- French winery legal fight: Still ongoing