Angelina Jolie's reign in Hollywood may soon be coming to an end, but not before she takes the throne as Queen of the Nile. In a new interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, the Maleficent actress, 38, confirmed that she's working on a big-screen Cleopatra biopic — and then hinted that the movie could be her last in front of the camera.
"We've been working on it," she teased when asked about the long-rumored film, which Oscar winners Ang Lee and David Fincher had previously expressed interest in directing. "There have been lots of different ideas of directors and lots of different discussions." She noted, too, that a script had been written by Eric Roth, who penned the screenplay for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring the actress' fiance, Brad Pitt.
"She's complicated," Jolie explained of the iconic Egyptian queen, played most famously by the late Elizabeth Taylor, who starred opposite real-life love Richard Burton in 1963's Cleopatra. "It's complicated to get this one right. I think we're getting there. It's very close. I imagine the preparation for it is going to be big."
So big, in fact, that Jolie isn't sure she'll have anything left in her once she's finished with the film. "It's one of those you feel like, well, maybe that's the one you put everything into, and that's where you end it, that's where you finish — in a great way," she told BBC Radio. "What could you do beyond that one?"
Of course, this isn't the first time the humanitarian and mom-of-six has hinted at her desire to quit acting. Jolie has spoken about her desire to focus on other things several times in the past, and even told USA Today recently that she's never really been passionate about acting the way she's passionate about directing or philanthropy.
"I became an actress because my mom wanted me to become an actress," she admitted. "It took me until my mid-30s to realize I actually didn't. I actually wanted to write and direct and be more involved in politics and humanitarian issues. I'll do a few more films and enjoy it…but I've never loved it like I love other things."
