Angelina Jolie: The Joy of Being Jolie

Q: You've said that he's the kind of person you would like to be like. Does that signify an insecurity about who you are?

A: No. I have insecurities like everybody else, but the things that matter are whether you're a good person, which you can choose to be. I think I've become more like him since I've known him, or we've become more like each other. We've encouraged the things we love about each other. We're flawed, like everybody, but we know what to encourage.

Q: Do you want to be his muse?

A: I hope that I am.

Q: You also said the same things haunt both of you. What are they?

A: We both can't stand things that are superficial or false or somebody trying to hurt somebody or things that aren't free. We both have felt sad and alone a lot in our lives. We feel like there is no end to a certain restlessness in our spirit.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: I think a lot, maybe too much. I'm very loving. I like who I am better today than I have before. I've come to a place where I'm very comfortable, settled. It's the first time in my life I've been able to be soft, and I'm finding a strength in that.

Q: Do you see yourself as a beautiful woman?

A: I don't not like the way I look, but I don't think I'm pretty. I'm actually a bit strange-looking.

Q: What are your best and worst features?

A: I've come to a place where even the things I used to hate about myself, I'm like...

Q: What could you possibly hate about yourself?

A: Lots of things. At different times in my life I wished I had a different hair color. I have an eye color that nobody can figure out. I used to want to have one solid hair color, one solid eye color. But all those things I love now. They're just me.

Q: Gossip columnists have had a field day predicting how long your marriage will last. Does that upset you?

A: Are they still doing that? We're two of the weirder people in this business, so you'd think they'd say we're perfect for each other. A lot of marriages in this town come and go. We're an exception to that rule, I believe. Time will tell. It's upsetting in a way when they say we don't love each other or put out rumors of us with other people. Billy heard something about me and Antonio Banderas on the set of Original Sin. To me it was like, "What are you talking about?" I heard something about him with somebody, and I asked him if it was true. He said, "Of course not."

Q: Are either of you jealous?

A: No. We both are desperately in love, so we need each other to survive. We've finally found our match. It's impossible for anything to happen to us.

Q: What if you caught him fooling around with another woman?

A: I've told Billy if I ever caught him cheating, I wouldn't kill him because I love his children and they need a dad. [Laughs] But I would beat him up. I know where all of his sports injuries are. And I'd beat her, too! So any woman who reads this: don't even think about it.

Q: You've said that you'd like to have children, but you don't know if there will ever be a time when you are not going to be too selfish. Where do you stand now?

A: I want to have children when I'm not traveling all the time. I have always felt strongly about adopting. Being around Billy's kids now, they're part of my family. [Holds up her hand to show a paper ring] They made this for me. Billy and I are both big kids, so when they come on the weekends, it's like the four of us are having slumber parties.

Q: How many boyfriends did you have before you got married the first time, to Jonny Lee Miller?

A: One. I'm not one of those people who notices guys. I've never really dated. I've slept with four men in my life, so it's funny to think that people think I'm a sex maniac.

Q: How tough was the split from your first husband?

A: It was tough because we never wanted to hurt each other. We never have, to this day. But we just didn't really love what made us different. We didn't encourage what was best about us. There weren't other people. He was so strong and stable. He's not a boring guy, he's quite wild, but he was a litte more mature than I was, more settled.

Q: Didn't one of your boyfriends live with you at your mom's house when you were 14?

A: Yes, in my bedroom. It was probably the smartest thing my mother could have done because this way, we weren't hanging out in a park together. We lived, strangely, like a married couple for two years. By the time I was 16, I wanted my space and freedom and I wanted to focus on work. So, I graduated from high school early and went to work. I didn't date until I met Jonny at age 19.

Q: Your mother obviously had a lot of trust in you.

A: When you grow up with one parent and the parent doesn't have a lot of other friends around, you become her friend. I was my mom's girlfriend. So I was able to talk to her about everything.

Q: You've spoken openly to the press about your fascination with violence during sex. Is this something you've also discussed with your mother?

A: I've talked to her about my sexuality. I needed to explain that sometimes we don't feel anything. I didn't feel anything. That comes out in a lot of different ways, but for me it was with violence. Being violent, [getting into] S and M was a need. I feel enough now for my husband that I don't need to attack him to feel him. In the past, I never met anybody that loved enough, that wanted enough, that was crazy or open enough.

Q: When Gia came out, you said you were attracted to women. Didn't you actually have a female lover?

A: When I was 20, I fell in love with somebody who happened to be a woman. I didn't flirt around with girls; I just suddenly noticed this woman's sweater and the way her pants fit and realized, my God! I was noticing things in a sexual way. I wanted to be close to her because I had feelings for her. The reality is, I love people. If Billy was a woman, then I'd be a lesbian. Simple.

Q: There's a quote if I've ever heard one!

A: [Laughs] If I was a man, we'd be a gay couple.

Q: Another one! Did it hurt you at all, speaking openly to the press about your sexuality? A: No. I'm sure I'd have a more accepted career if I were to behave a certain way, but I've been extremely open and I'm glad.

Q: You created an interesting scene with your brother at the Oscars last year when you kissed him and said that you loved him. What did you think of all that was written?

A: I thought it was stupid. I didn't realize until recently that I maybe upset my brother. We haven't talked about it, and we didn't take it seriously, but at the end of the day it was extremely sad because it was just an example of a love between siblings. A simple, normal love. It was a moment where I was so amazed, and to be in that moment with my brother, with whom I used to compete and who was the person most happy for me, who had supported me up to that moment...Then everybody got freaked out because we kissed on the mouth. A lot of people kiss on the mouth. If it seemed like a real kiss, it was probably because we held each other too long, but there was nothing but a pure love. When I said, "I'm so in love with my brother," it was me very honestly saying, "Right in this moment, I'm in love with this guy sitting right here because he's so wonderful and so supportive of his sister." And he loved me in that moment. Which is very rare... and very special.

Q: Didn't you almost miss accepting the award because you were locked out of the auditorium?

A: Yes. I was late because I tend to say hi to a lot of people. That happens to me all the time. On the way to the SAG awards, I got stuck in the drive-through at an In-N-Out Burger.

Q: Where did you put your Oscar?

A: I think it's with my mom.

Q: When you won your Oscar, you were working on Original Sin with Antonio Banderas. How close did you get to him?

A: We got to know each other quite well. He's like a strange brother. He's a sweetheart, a good guy, very full of life. When we first met, I was annoyed that he was singing all the time, but by the end of it, I was singing along. People will be amazed by his work in the film.

Q: There's a lot of erotic content in this film. You've said that there's nothing romantic, sexual, or intimate about shooting love scenes. Is it really that mechanical?

A: No. It's intimate in a different way. A lot of times, you're both trying to make sure the other person is not uncomfortable around a big crew of people. You're very sensitive with each other. Most of the time it's making sure the sheets are on the person. And everybody's uncomfortable because nobody wants an accident--you don't want to touch the wrong place. The nice thing is if you can get along with the person as a friend.

Q: How did you feel about Gone in Sixty Seconds?

A: I didn't like the film, but I didn't expect to. After doing Girl Interrupted, I couldn't have done another film that took much out of me. I like cars and I thought the movie was about friends coming together, which a lot of Jerry Bruckheimer's films are.

Q: Did you like The Bone Collector?

A: Yeah, I did. A lot of people say it was just a fun film--which is fantastic. Nobody said anything about Denzel Washington being a paraplegic or a different race or different age group. Because he and I couldn't physically touch, and because he couldn't physically grab me or chase me, he had to really look at me and really hold me in that room with what was inside of him. Every scene with us had to be about that. I couldn't hold his hand where there was a moment when you'd do that to somebody, so instead you look at them with everything inside your heart. I think it was much more intimate than any physical thing could ever be.

Q: How good an actor do you feel you were when you first started making movies?

A: I was all right. I had a few honest moments. But I've grown as a person. I know crazy better now than I did years ago. [Laughs] I know sexy better.

Q: How long have you been drawn to acting?

A: Ever since I was little. Any time I had a problem, my mom would say, "What are you feeling? What are you thinking? What are you doing?" That's what you asked when you studied with Strasberg.

Pages: 1 2 3