Angelina Jolie has never been afraid to speak her mind, but her latest remark on the US at San Sebastián has invited mixed reactions from the audience. While promoting her new film in Spain, the actress was asked what she fears as both an artist and an American. And her reply has left everyone stunned.
Surprisingly, what she said was neither relevant to her movie, her life, nor even her glam Hollywood career. In fact, it directly tied her to the ongoing Charlie Kirk controversy. And, for a moment, it felt like we were seeing a true US citizen venting out on stage.
Angelina Jolie Sees A Country Divided Over Free Speech
“I love my country, but at this time, I don’t recognize my country.” Those were Jolie’s first few words on stage as she went on explaining that what troubles her most is seeing freedoms restricted and people divided. “Anything anywhere that divides or limits personal expressions and freedoms from anyone, I think, is very dangerous,” she said, adding that these are “very, very heavy times” for everyone.”
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As we already know, just days earlier, ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its schedule after backlash over comments the host made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk. That decision fueled a debate over censorship and free speech, and that’s what Jolie pointed us towards.
Jolie made it clear she sees the struggle as bigger than politics. It’s about the identity of America itself. If America is now viewed by its own citizens as unrecognizable, what does that say about where the country is heading?
Being an actress who has spent much of her life working abroad and championing international causes, seeing her own country fighting over the right to speech has surely been heartbreaking.
While Jolie addressed the issue on stage in Spain, most Hollywood stars have chosen to remain silent. Many stars shy away from political commentary, worried about the backlash it could bring. Jolie, however, didn’t hesitate. She feels the way most Americans feel now: that division and censorship are beginning to shape the national conversation more than unity or freedom.
The best part of it was that, unlike most political leaders, Jolie wasn’t taking sides. She was calling out the danger of restricting freedoms, no matter where or to whom it happens.
Angeline Jolie Has Always Prioritized “Freedom Of Choice”
Although her comments about America dominated headlines, Jolie was in Spain to premiere Couture, Alice Winocour’s drama set during Paris Fashion Week. She plays Maxine, a filmmaker who learns she has breast cancer. The most special thing about the role is that it ties to her own life.
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More than a decade ago, Jolie chose to undergo a preventive double mastectomy and later removed her ovarian and fallopian tubes after discovering she carried the BRCA1 gene. But she stressed that, “those were my choices. I don’t say everybody should do it that way, but it’s important to have the choice.”
Jolie got visibly emotional as she revealed that during filming, she wore her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand’s necklace, and even some of her ashes. But fighting back tears, she said her mother would have told her character, Maxine, to “live every day and focus on life.”
To Jolie, choice comes before anything and everything. Be it for health, be it for speech. And isn’t that fair?
