Angelina Jolie Calls Cambodia Home but Nearly Rejected the Film That Took Her There

Despite nearly passing up the chance, Angelina Jolie recently thought back on the movie that transformed her life and made her consider Cambodia to be her home.

Jolie was asked where she feels most at home during a discussion at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival recently when she accepted the Maltin Modern Master Award. “In my heart, Cambodia holds that place,” she stated without hesitation. She talked about how her life was unexpectedly impacted by her first trip to the country while filming ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’.

In retrospect, Jolie said that when she was first contacted for the part of Lara Croft, she turned it down. She considered how many important events in her life nearly fell through and how accepting certain situations transformed her life.

In the end, the prospect of adventure in real life convinced her to accept the part. She agreed after being persuaded by the chance to train with the British military and see the world. She even jokingly said that although she first consented to don Lara Croft’s iconic shorts, she soon outgrew them—a fact that ultimately came to pass in the finished movie.

Image Courtesy: Getty Images 

Although the film introduced her to Cambodia, her adoption of her first child, Maddox, a year after the film’s premiere, cemented her relationship with the nation. Her decision to direct ‘First They Killed My Father’, a movie based on Loung Ung’s story about surviving the Khmer Rouge genocide, was greatly influenced by Maddox.

The 23-year-old Maddox participated fully in the movie process, evaluating video, assisting with production meetings, and learning more about his own nation. Jolie previously said that he often travels between Cambodia and the United States and that he immersed himself in the country’s history, culture, and harsh realities for more than four months while the movie was being made.

Along with Maddox, Jolie and her ex-husband Brad Pitt are parents to twins Knox and Vivienne, as well as Pax, Zahara, and Shiloh.

The Maria Callas biography, which is currently available on OTT, is Jolie’s most recent endeavour and was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 97th Academy Awards.

–Farheen Ali