Angelina Jolie is opening up about what life has been like for her during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a rare interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the 45-year-old actress reveals what she’s been reading, watching and listening to while quarantined at home with the six kids she shares with her ex, Brad Pitt.
“I am in listening mode most hours of the day. I follow Time magazine, The New York Times, the BBC World Service and BLM activists online,” she shares. “Most recently, I’ve watched the documentary I Am Not Your Negro about James Baldwin and the civil-rights movement in America. Before bed, I’ve been reading Unreasonable Behaviour by Don McCullin and reflecting on how journalism has changed in the last half a century.”
“Like most parents, I focus on staying calm so my children don’t feel anxiety from me on top of all they are worrying about. I put all my energy into them,” she continues. “During the lockdown, Vivienne’s bunny passed away during a surgery, and we adopted two sweet little ones who are disabled. They need to be in pairs. They are so gentle and it has helped to focus on their care with her at this time. And on the dogs, and snake and lizard…”
With everything going on in the world right now (the pandemic, outrage over the fatal arrest of George Floyd, and the fight for justice), Jolie admits she’s had a reawakening of her own.
“I was fortunate years ago to travel with the UN to frontlines around the world and put into perspective what really matters. Having six children, I am reminded daily of what is most important,” she says. “But after almost two decades of international work, this pandemic and this moment in America has made me rethink the needs and suffering within my own country.”
“There are more than 70 million people who have had to flee their homes worldwide because of war and persecution – and there is racism and discrimination in America. A system that protects me but might not protect my daughter – or any other man, woman or child in our country based on skin colour – is intolerable,” she continues. “We need to progress beyond sympathy and good intentions to laws and policies that actually address structural racism and impunity. Ending abuses in policing is just the start. It goes far beyond that, to all aspects of society, from our education system to our politics.”
Jolie adds that, although we’ve still got a long way to go, it’s been nice to see people “rising” together all over the globe.
“It feels like the world is waking up, and people are forcing a deeper reckoning within their societies,” she explains. “It is time to make changes in our laws and our institutions – listening to those who have been most affected and whose voices have been excluded.”
Pitt has also been vocal about his support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The 56-year-old actor was spotted protesting in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month with his friend, actress Alia Shawkat. Other celebs who took to the streets in California included Halsey, Ariana Grande, Machine Gun Kelly and Keke Palmer.
