Angelina Jolie Calls ‘Vanity Fair’ Cover Story ‘False and Upsetting’

Angelina Jolie is firing back at Vanity Fair for a cover story they published recently about the casting methods for her new film First They Killed My Father.

The story detailed the actions of Jolie and the casting directors as playing a “game” with kids from “orphanages, circuses and slum schools” while they were seeking to cast the film.

The money would be placed in front of the children and then taken away after they were asked what they would use it for, as shared in a story by Huffington Post. The goal, apparently, was to see what reactions were elicited.

In a statement released on Saturday, Jolie addressed the story by saying, “Every measure was taken to ensure the safety, comfort and well-being of the children on the film starting from the auditions through production to the present.”

She continued, “I am upset that a pretend exercise in an improvisation, from an actual scene in the film, has been written about as if it was a real scenario. The suggestion that real money was taken from a child during an audition is false and upsetting. I would be outraged myself if this had happened.”

Additionally, a source close to the film reportedly confirmed that the children in the scene were fully made aware of the process and that the exercise was a “pretend game.”

The interview that Jolie gave wasn’t entirely about the film and its controversy, rather, the actress/director also spoke openly about her personal life as well.

Angelina Jolie Opens up About Life After Brad Pitt Divorce

In her first major interview since filing for divorce last September, the mother of six opened up to Vanity Fair and gave readers a glimpse into her new normal as a single mother.

Although she has kept her separation details private, she candidly speaks out about some major topics, including her heath, family and figuring out how to “keep a house.”

While Jolie revealed new details about her personal life, she mentioned that the summer of 2016 was difficult for her family. When describing the situation, she said, “Things got bad. I didn’t want to use that word. Things became ‘difficult.’”

When addressing her separation, she made it aware that the family’s traveling lifestyle was a major issue for Pitt and he wanted more of a stable existence. “[Our lifestyle] was not in any way a negative,” she said. “That was not the problem. That is and will remain one of the wonderful opportunities we are able to give our children…They’re six very strong-minded, thoughtful, worldly individuals. I’m very proud of them.”

She also gave an update on her children, calling them “very brave” individuals. “We’re all just healing from the events that led to the filing,” she said, when addressing the FBI investigation of Pitt and their son Maddox. “They’re not healing from divorce. They’re healing from some…from life, from things in life.”

Despite their differences, Jolie and Pitt’s communication styles seemed to have improved. “We care for each other and care about our family, and we are both working towards the same goal,” she said.

Jolie also revealed interesting details about her life that many people may not have known.

Angelina Jolie Is a Homemaker

During the interview, Jolie says she trys her best to be as domestic as possible for her children.

“I’m just wanting to make the proper breakfast and keep the house. That’s my passion. At the request of my kids, I’m taking cooking classes. As I go to sleep at night, I think, Did I do a great job as a mom or was that an average day?” the star explained to the magazine. 

She continues to immerse herself into homemaking more and more each day.

“I’ve been trying for nine months to be really good at just being a homemaker and picking up dog poop and cleaning dishes and reading bedtime stories. And I’m getting better at all three. But now I need to get my boots on and go hang, take a trip.” 

Jolie also gave an insight into her children’s home lives. In the article, the author notes the actress’ wet dog jumping on a sofa, her 9-year-old daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt coming home from a sleepover and her son asking for a water slide for their new home.

The Actress’ Parent’s Divorce Truly Affected Her

The Maleficent star reflected on her parent’s separation and the effects it had on her as a child.

Jolie’s father, Jon Voight, and her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, separated after five years of marriage. Voight cheated on his wife and left her to raise two children as a single mother. 

 “I was very worried about my mother, growing up—a lot,” she told Vanity Fair. “I do not want my children to be worried about me. I think it’s very important to cry in the shower and not in front of them. They need to know that everything’s going to be all right even when you’re not sure it is.”

It is known that Jolie and Voight had an estranged relationship for quite some time. But according to the interview, the two have reconnected and he is fulfilling his duties as grandfather.

“He’s been very good at understanding they needed their grandfather at this time,” she told the magazine. “I had to do a therapy meeting last night and he was just around. He knows kind of the rule—don’t make them play with you. Just be a cool grandpa who’s creative, and hang out and tell stories and read a book in the library.”

Jolie Opens up About Health Issues

In the article, she also spoke about the surgery she underwent to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. In 2015, she revealed that her doctor noticed signs of cancer in her blood test results and suggested the surgery. Although she didn’t have cancer, she is still happy she had the surgery.

“I went into the actual surgery happy as they come,” she recalled. “I was skipping. Because at that point it was just preventative.” 

After that battle, she made a very unexpected admission. Jolie developed a serious condition, Bell’s palsy, last year, which caused one side of your face to droop because of damage to facial nerves.

“Sometimes women in families put themselves last,” she said, “until it manifests itself in their own health.”

She received acupuncture treatment and has since recovered.