Angelina Jolie Opens Up In Touching Detail About Her Latest Activism
Fans of Angelina Jolie were happy to see her return to the big screen in both "Those Who Wish Me Dead" and "Eternals," as it meant she had not given up acting entirely, as was previously hinted. "I've never been comfortable as an actor; I've never loved being in front of the camera," Jolie told Dujour in 2014, adding that she hoped to become a full-time director.
Although moviegoers were happy to see Jolie return to acting in substantial roles in 2021, she did not return on her own terms. "I love directing, but I had a change in my family situation that's not made it possible for me to direct for a few years," she told Entertainment Weekly in April 2021, referencing her divorce proceedings with Brad Pitt. "I needed to just do shorter jobs and be home more, so I kind of went back to doing a few acting jobs."
While discussing her public divorce, and the emotional toll it took on her family, Jolie also mentioned another issue that made her emotional. "This morning I just had a big cry about Afghanistan," she told The Guardian in September 2021. Afghanistan, where Jolie's activism started, still had a special place in her heart. Activism has continued to play an important part in the Hollywood star's life.
Angelina's connection to one inspiring student
In a moving Instagram post on January 9, Angelina Jolie provided details about a touching activism program she was involved with that assisted girls from different parts of the globe. "I have been working with Gitanjali Rao, fifteen-year old problem-solver and innovator," Jolie wrote. This extraordinary teenager had been leading a program to promote the sciences for students throughout the globe. "Most of all for girls, who are under-represented in the sciences, and particularly in ICT, a growth area for employment in the future," Jolie added. Rao had managed to connect "with more than 50,000 students" globally, and Samlot High School in Cambodia – which is supported by the actor's Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation – worked with Rao in December 2021.
According to the Foundation's website, it is helping "10 students (5 girls) from vulnerable families in Samlout." That includes 14-year-old Roeung Sokla who was able to continue her education thanks to learning materials and an allowance provided by the foundation.
Cambodia holds a special place in Jolie's heart as it is the birthplace of her son, Maddox Jolie. "[A]s clear as day I thought: 'My son is here,'" Jolie recalled thinking in 2001, per a 2020 interview with Vogue. "A few months later I met baby Mad at an orphanage."