As one of the most famous stars in Hollywood, Angelina Jolie causes more discussion about her personal life than her artistic products.
“Where is Angelina Jolie?” is the question that The Independent opened its commentary on the Hollywood star’s faltering acting career.
After 25 years of receiving the prestigious Oscar for her role as a mental patient in Girl, Interrupted , Jolie has not had many impressive works. The way she portrayed characters in recent films has also been criticized for being outdated because she only focuses on eye and lip expressions and lacks inner depiction.
Career is stagnant
To date, Angelina Jolie’s three most resounding works are Gia (1998), Girl, Interrupted (1999) and A Mighty Heart (2007). From the role of a former supermodel infected with AIDS, a mischievous girl in a mental hospital to the portrait of a wife accepting her husband’s tragic death, all three transformations demonstrate the artist’s excellent acting ability.
Coincidentally, all three roles share the same formula: suffering. According to L’Officiel , this stems from the fact that Hollywood and the Academy tend to push female stars to try to escape their 𝑠e𝑥y image to become more self-sufficient and have more depth.
In the following years, Jolie was relatively successful in commercial films thanks to a series of typical works such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Original Sin, Alexander, Mr. & Mrs. Smith … and gradually became a female action star. However, since The Tourist (2010), audiences have not seen her appear in heavy action roles.
Jolie’s career began to take a different turn, but also showed signs of exhaustion in reinventing characters.
Angelina Jolie’s lackluster performance in the blockbuster Eternals . Photo: Collider.
Joining the MCU was probably Jolie’s worst decision. The film Eternals (2021), in which she played the Goddess of War Athena, was criticized for its messy plot, sloppy execution, and unclear message. And of course, Jolie’s appearance did not leave a deep impression.
“Angelina’s role seems to only meet the criteria of being beautiful. The cramming of too many superheroes is the reason why the movie is pushed off track,” a film critic commented.
Those Who Wish Me Dead , Jolie’s other project, also received mixed reviews. Returning to a dramatic action role after 11 years of playing Salt, Jolie (as Hannah Faber) appeared to be obscure because of her limited character role and little room to express herself.
She spends most of the film accompanying and caring for little Finn Little, with little action until the end. Hannah’s character is half-baked in the story, and Jolie herself seems to consider her a poor casting choice.
Although she is praised for her still radiant beauty at the age of over 50, Jolie herself is no longer sharp in every role she takes on. L’Officiel wrote: “Has Angelina been one-dimensional for 30 years in filmmaking, or has Hollywood soon realized her true purpose and role in contemporary cinema?”
Hollywood still needs Angelina Jolie
According to The Independent , Angelina Jolie’s career has slowed down for many reasons. There was a time when she was absent to have a mastectomy to prevent cancer, to take care of her family, and to focus on her legal battle with Brad Pitt.
The litigation between Jolie and her ex-husband continues to this day. In the latest court documents, the Maleficent star said Pitt is trying to “suck her blood” in every way. The lawsuit to divide the French estate is said by Jolie to be “one of Brad’s attempts to devastate her financially”.
“It is painful for Angelina to have to defend herself against the lawsuit. The real reason she voluntarily sold the estate was because Brad forced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement to cover up his past of domestic violence against his wife and children,” Jolie’s representative wrote in the document.
Increasingly, the news surrounding the lawsuit has overshadowed the articles that have “awakened” Jolie’s acting skills. Hollywood desperately needs Jolie, but at the same time, she has always been contemptuous of her talent, especially after the star’s personal life was exposed so much in the press.
The biopic about the late diva Maria Callas is Angelina Jolie’s latest project. Photo: Deadline.
L’Officiel believes that to prove that she is not falling behind, Jolie must have a work that is carefully invested in both script and acting quality. Experts expect her to regain her position soon when Maria is released. In this film, Jolie recreates the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the late opera diva Maria Callas.
“The producers believe Angelina is a special actress who can play the role well,” revealed Macnab of The Independent . Meanwhile, Screenrant confirmed the result right in the article’s headline: ” Angelina Jolie’s new film will definitely end a disappointing 14-year streak and make her comeback more interesting.”
The release date for Maria has not been announced by the producer. About 3 or 4 other projects of Jolie are only in the negotiation process. Therefore, it is too early to conclude anything. After the films are released one by one, experts and audiences will have enough basis to answer the question: Has Angelina Jolie’s acting halo returned or is it still fading?