Angelina Jolie’s Biggest Revelations From Her ‘WSJ’ Interview: From Brad Pitt Divorce to Career Changes

The Academy Award winner admitted that she ‘wouldn’t be an actress today’ due to the ‘expectation’ of sharing personal details with the public. 

Angelina Jolie sat down with WSJ Magazine about her personal life and career following her divorce from ex-husband Brad Pitt. In an interview that was published on December 5, the Maleficent star got candid about what she foresees in her future with regard to dating, motherhood, her career and more. 

Keep reading to see all of Angelina’s biggest revelations from her WSJ interview. 

Her Health & Bell’s Palsy

The Oscar winner revealed that she “had Bell’s palsy” leading up to her and Brad’s divorce. The condition is an acute “episode of facial muscle weakness or paralysis,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It is widely believed to be related to a viral infection and can resolve on its own within six months. 

“My body reacts very strongly to stress,” Angelina told the publication. “My blood sugar goes up and down. I suddenly had Bell’s palsy six months before my divorce.” 

How Angelina & Her Kids ‘Healed’ After Brad Pitt Divorce

After Angelina and Brad officially split in 2016, she recalled how she and their six children had to “heal.” The former spouses share Shiloh, Zahara, Maddox, Pax, Knox and Vivienne together. 

“We had to heal. There are things we needed to heal from,” Angelina noted in her interview, before describing her relationship with her adult children. “They are the closest people to me and my life, and they’re my close friends. We’re seven very different people, which is our strength.” 

Not ‘Really’ Having a ‘Social Life’ 

As a humanitarian, the Salt star is passionate about helping others around the world. Since realizing that some of her “closest friends” are “from war and conflict,” Angie noted that she doesn’t “really have a social life” in Hollywood. 

“Of all the places in the world, Hollywood is not a healthy place,” she said, noting that she is open to living in Cambodia rather than L.A. in the future. “It’s part of what happened after my divorce. I lost the ability to live and travel as freely. I will move when I can.” 

Why She ‘Wouldn’t’ Pursue Acting

Since she isn’t a fan of the Hollywood machine, Angie admitted that if she had a do-over in life, she would not have pursued acting as a career. 

“I never bought into it as significant or important,” the Girl, Interrupted star said about stardom, adding, “I wouldn’t be an actress today. … When I was starting out, it wasn’t as much of an expectation to be as public, to share so much.” 

Why She Will ‘Probably Lose Money’ in the Future

Elsewhere in her interview, Angelina pointed out that she wants to focus on her clothing company, Atelier Jolie, in New York City, which empowers “individuality” and “freedom.” The filmmaker also said that she wants to “host educational events focused on techniques, such as silk-screening, studding and embroidery” at her brand’s store. 

“I’ll probably lose money, maybe even for a while,” Angie admitted, referring to the business venture. “If I can eventually put into practice some things that I think are improvements and I just break even, that’s a huge victory.”