Angelina Jolie admitted that she’s still “in transition as a person” as she approaches 50.
“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,” Jolie, 48, shared in her November 2023 Vogue cover story, which was released online Wednesday, September 27, explaining why she’s since taken a minor step back from Hollywood.
Jolie noted that she started “only taking jobs that didn’t require long shoots” around 2016, seemingly alluding to the aftermath of her divorce from Brad Pitt.
“We had a lot of healing to do,” she added, hinting at how the breakup affected her family. “We’re still finding our footing.”
Jolie and Pitt, 59, met in 2005 and began dating the following year. They announced their engagement in April 2012 and tied the knot in August 2014. Together, the former couple shares kids Maddox, 22, Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 17, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 15.
After Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, she and Pitt found themselves involved in a messy court battle. Jolie accused Pitt of being “physically and emotionally abusive” toward her and the kids on a 2016 flight, which he has since denied.
The pair were declared legally single in 2019 but continued to fight over custody of their minor children. Pitt filed a lawsuit in 2022, claiming that Jolie had sold his share of their French winery Château Miraval after a previous agreement not to do so. In June, Pitt claimed that Jolie “secretly” sold his stakes in the winery as payback, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly at the time.
In the aftermath of her split, Jolie is looking forward to the future and wants to “change many aspects of my life.” One of those changes? Launching her Atelier Jolie clothing line.
Jolie referred to the capsule collection as a “forward-facing” step, telling Vogue that it’s been “therapeutic for me — to work in a creative space with people you trust and to rediscover yourself.”
Through her clothes, Jolie said that she wants to help women “to feel safe enough that she can be soft,” a philosophy expressed through some of her designs.
“Sometimes the way you dress says, ‘Don’t mess with me—I’ve got my armor on,’” Jolie shared. “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.”
She added, “Now I wonder if I don’t know what my style is because I’m still understanding who I am at 48.”
