Angelina Jolie reflects on career growth and her connection to Maria Callas

Oscar-winning actor Angelina Jolie, with a career spanning over four decades, recently opened up about her personal and professional evolution. Jolie, who portrays opera legend Maria Callas in the upcoming biographical drama Maria, shared how her life experiences have deepened her connection to her latest on-screen character.

Speaking to Sky News, Jolie explained how her artistic process has transformed over the years. “There’s this kind of study of being human that we do when we create, and we communicate with an audience because our work is not in isolation—it’s a connection,” she said.

Reflecting on her younger years, Jolie added, “When I was younger, I had different questions about being human and different feelings. Now, as I’ve gotten older, I understand some things and have different questions.”

In Maria, the story focuses on Callas during the final days of her life in 1977, as she looks back on her triumphs and struggles. Jolie revealed that she relates deeply to the opera singer’s journey due to her own life experiences. “It’s a matter of life, right? This character is really contemplating death and the toll of certain things in life—something I, of course, couldn’t have fully understood in my 20s,” she shared.

Last year, Jolie spoke candidly about embracing her age and finding beauty in the changes it brings. “I’m 49. I do feel like an older woman now, and I embrace that,” she told IndieWire.

Jolie also noted how opera, much like her character Maria, resonates with the deeper emotions she now experiences. “When I was younger, there were certain pieces of music and sounds that matched what I was feeling: falling in love, curiosity, or whatever I was going through,” she explained. “There is nothing that meets what you’re feeling like opera. Some pieces are so beautiful, so full of hope, and so full of yearning. Opera is bigger—it is bigger than we allow ourselves to feel in every moment.”

Jolie’s portrayal of Callas in Maria marks yet another significant chapter in her illustrious career, blending her personal reflections with the profound narrative of an icon who navigated both extraordinary success and personal challenges.