Angelina Jolie is open to a move into politics.
The Oscar-winning actress recently spoke of her desire to spend more time behind the camera directing movies, but she’s now also confirmed she’d be keen to enter politics provided she could “make a difference”.
The 39-year-old beauty, who has served as a UN High Commissioner for Refugees ambassador, told ITV News: “I’ve always gone wherever I felt I was needed. When I started working with the UN, I felt I loved working in the field and I felt I was useful in the field and then there was a point where I realised that I was only so useful in the field because someone had to go to Washington and plea the case. So then I would do that. I don’t know what that means or where that will lead me.”
Asked whether the political landscape would improve with a female US President, Angelina reflected: “I think a great leader is a great leader and I simply would not ever say that this would be better because it’s a man or better because it’s a woman. What we really need now is great leadership and I’m hoping that person rises forward.”
Angelina also admitted she would be very proud if her new World War II movie Unbroken– which she directed – wins any Oscars.
The Hollywood star is very proud of the film she has directed, which is about the life of World War II hero Louis ‘Louie’ Zamperini, a former American Olympic track star who survives a plane crash in the Pacific, and after being discovered floating on a raft after 47 days is made a prisoner of war by Japan and spends two-and-a-half years being tortured whilst incarcerated.
Angelina admits it meant a lot to her to be able to bring Zamperini’s story to the big screen and therefore she would cherish any Oscar win even more than her first Academy Award 14 years ago for Girl, Interrupted.
Speaking at the UK premiere of the film at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on Tuesday night, she said: “I love directing and most of all I felt very responsible to this story and this man’s life.”
When asked what Oscar success would mean, she replied: “It would mean a great deal to me, for sure.”
The actress watched the film with her husband Brad Pitt and some of their six children – Maddox, 13, Pax, 10, Zahara, nine, Shiloh, eight, and six-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne – and insists the message of forgiveness in the story was an important one for her kids to receive.
She said: “This man’s life is about forgiveness and unity. My own children have watched it and they walked out of it and thought he was a hero.”
British actor Jack O’Connell portrays Zamperini, while Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund and Jai Courtney also appear.
