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(NewsNation) — Angelina Jolie may have made almost $55 million when she sold her share of Chateau Miraval to Russian billionaire Yuri Sheffler, but that may be her last big paycheck for a very long time.
A Hollywood insider told me, “She has some small roles coming out in indy movies — one is said to even be good –—but it won’t make her the big money (she’s used to and needs to fund her lifestyle).”
“Yes, she’s a woman approaching 50 in Hollywood and things get harder (for that demographic) — but she’s also not particularly well-liked in the industry.”
In addition to a lack of high-paying roles, Jolie is facing a mountain of bills — especially if Pitt wins his lawsuit against her for selling her half of Chateau Miraval to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli Group, which is owned by a Russian oligarch, Yuri Shefler — a claim Pitt says was “vindictive” and illegal. Ten percent of the winery is now being held in escrow, making Pitt the majority owner of the vineyard (for now).
Pitt is suing for damages — and wants the entire deal with Shefler undone, which would have major financial repercussions for Jolie.
“She could be forced to pay back all of the money she received if the deal is undone,” said someone familiar with the legal battle. “She is very concerned about that. At the very least, she would have to pay back 10%, which would be $5.5 million.”
And then there are Jolie’s spiraling legal bills.
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FILE – Angelina Jolie poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film “Eternals” on Oct. 27, 2021, in London. The Oscar-winning actor has become a lead producer on the Broadway-bound new musical “The Outsiders,” a show based on S.E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 coming-of-age crime drama. The Broadway cast and dates have not been revealed yet. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 09: Angelina Jolie attends the European Premiere of Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” at Odeon IMAX Waterloo on October 09, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney) -
FILE – This file photo combination shows Angelina Jolie at a premiere in Los Angeles on Sept. 30, 2019, left, and Brad Pitt at a special screening on Sept. 18, 2019. The California Supreme Court has refused to consider Pitt’s appeal of a court ruling that disqualified the judge in his custody battle with Jolie. The court on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, denied review of a June appeals court decision that said the private judge hearing the case should be disqualified for failing to sufficiently disclose his business relationships with Pitt’s attorneys. (AP Photo/File)
“When she claimed (in May) she refused to sell her stake in Miraval to Brad because of an NDA, she stepped in it,” another source said. “It was a run-of-the-mill business NDA — where she wouldn’t have been able to talk badly about the business… She’s always been able to talk badly about Brad. But she falsely claimed the NDA would have prevented her from talking about the divorce as well. And she also neglected to talk about all the NDAs she has made people who work for her over the years sign.”
In May, lawyers for Pitt asked a Superior Court judge on to compel Jolie to produce these NDAs — a motion the judge agreed upon.
“This is going to not only be embarrassing for her when she’s caught in another lie, but a huge bill for her to cover,” the source said. Pitt and Jolie’s lawyers charge around $1,000 an hour.
While Pitt has the money, raking in $20 million per role, Jolie does not.
Pitt “loaned” his ex $8 million for a Los Angeles home after they split and has been paying $200,000 a month for each child in child support (as well as paying for the childrens’ education). But now that there are only two children, twins Knox and Vivienne, under 18, that cash is dwindling.
Meanwhile, her foray into fashion, Atelier Jolie — lauded by Vogue last September — has gone nowhere.
Jolie’s shop in NoHo is “deserted” one recent visitor said. “There were like 10 things on the rack which were okay, but not particularly well made. Granted, it’s supposed to be appointment only, but I just walked in and they were happy to see me. Or anyone.”
According to the WSJ Magazine, “The 6,600-square-foot space was advertised at $60,000 per month for a minimum 10-year lease” which would make Jolie fork over 720,000 a year or $7.2 million for the lifetime of the lease – not to mention the monthly operating costs of a cafe and shop.
The visitor did say, “The tea shop in back is nice. Good food. Mediterranean.”
As for Jolie producing “The Outsiders” on Broadway (a role that usually involves putting up millions to get the show made), I’m told Jolie had her daughter Vivienne made producer in exchange for press appearances and promotion. This served two purposes for Jolie: Getting her name back out there and “sticking it to Brad as she paraded Vivienne around and made sure everyone knew his daughter wasn’t using his last name,” a friend of Pitt’s sighed.
In contrast, sources said Alicia Keyes fronted $10 million of her own money to get “Hell’s Kitchen” on Broadway.
WSJ magazine did note the financial drag everything has taken on Jolie, writing: “It’s been seven years of negotiation and court filings on everything from custody to the partial sale of their Provençal Château Miraval property and winery.”
Professionally, she once toggled between major tentpole film franchises, which could guarantee huge box-office returns and smaller indie dramas. It’s a framework that no longer holds the same certainty: “Eternals” may have garnered $402 million worldwide, but it was still generally regarded as a disappointment.
Jolie has said she plans on moving to Cambodia eventually — likely where her dwindling retirement fund can last a lot longer.
Jolie’s lawyer didn’t return emails.
Pitt’s rep declined comment.