Angelina Jolie has said it is often “other people’s perception of a woman” that defines too much who she is, as she discussed portraying the famed opera singer Maria Callas in a new biopic.
Maria, by the Chilean film-maker Pablo Larraín, premieres at the Venice film festival on Thursday, but it has already generated Oscar buzz over Jolie’s depiction of the renowned “diva”.
Asked during a press conference about her relationship to that word, Jolie said: “I think [the term diva] has often come with a lot of negative connotations.
“I’ve relearned that word from Maria, I have a new relationship to it. It’s often other people’s perception of a woman that defines too much who she is and who she was. I think Maria was one of the hardest working people who didn’t hurt anybody.”
The film, which has been acquired by Netflix for US distribution, focuses on the final week of Callas’s life in 1977, in Paris.
The soprano singer is deeply isolated, with only her butler (played by Pierfrancesco Favino) and housemaid (Alba Rohrwacher) looking after her – concerned about her health, the drugs and the devastating ripple effects of her diminished voice.
Jolie also revealed she trained for “almost seven months” to perform opera. She said she “had not sung in public” before and was “terribly nervous” about filming packed theatre scenes at Paris’s La Scala theatre.
“My first time singing I remember being so nervous. My sons were there and they helped lock the door so that nobody else was coming in, and I was shaky,” she said.
Callas, who was born Maria Kalogeropoulos to Greek parents in New York, made her professional debut in Athens as a 17-year-old and went on to become one of the greatest opera singers of all time with her unparalleled voice and stage presence.
But she also faced intense public scrutiny of her exacting demands and “diva” behaviour, her weight and her romantic life. Callas had a relationship with the shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who left her for Jackie Kennedy. She died in Paris at the age of 53 after a heart attack.
Jolie, who in recent years has been in the spotlight for her public and acrimonious divorce from Brad Pitt, said she found herself relating to Callas.
The actor is expected to leave Venice before Pitt arrives for the premiere of his film, Wolfs, on Sunday. Though legally single since 2019, they are still fighting over issues such as custody, finances and a winery in France.
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“There’s a lot I won’t say in this room that you probably know and assume,” Jolie said with a laugh. “I related to the part of her that is extremely soft and didn’t have room in the world to be as soft as she truly was and as emotionally open as she truly was. I think I share her vulnerability more than anything.”
The festival’s director, Alberto Barbera, has previously said organisers had spaced out the former couple’s appearances. “Angelina will be there on the first day and will leave immediately afterwards with the director of Maria, Pablo Larraín, to go to Telluride,” he told Vanity Fair. “So Brad will arrive in Venice only on Saturday. There is no way they will cross paths at the Lido.”
The film completes Larraín’s trilogy of exploring women with tragic narratives. He previously came to Venice in 2016 with Jackie, a portrait of Jackie Kennedy starring Natalie Portman, and in 2021 with Spencer, which starred Kristen Stewart as Diana, princess of Wales. Both films earned their leads best actress Oscar nominations.
Asked about the potential Oscar buzz for the film, Jolie said she mainly cared about honouring Callas’s legacy and her fans.
“My fear would be to disappoint them. If there’s a response to the work, I’m very grateful. But I really came to care for her, so I didn’t want to do a disservice to this woman.”