Angelina Jolie was moved to tears after receiving an eight-minute standing ovation at the premiere of her biopic Maria at the Venice Film Festival in Italy on Thursday.
The 49-year-old Changeling star looked visibly emotional and was seen wiping away tears after the audience in the Sala Grande rose to their feet to applaud her.
In another touching display, the actress, who plays legendary opera singer Maria Callas in the film, momentarily covered her mouth with her hand.
She was photographed being escorted down the stairs by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, 48, as the crowd continued to applaud her.
Jolie spoke about the project during a press conference held Thursday afternoon ahead of the screening, revealing that she spent approximately seven months preparing for the demanding role.
Angelina Jolie, 49, was moved to tears after receiving an eight-minute standing ovation at the premiere of her biopic Maria at the Venice Film Festival in Italy on Thursday; seen on the red carpet
She worked with opera singers and coaches to master correct posture, breathing, and movement techniques.
She added that immersing herself in the world of opera provided her with “therapy I didn’t know I needed.”
“I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out. So the challenge wasn’t technical, it was an emotional experience of finding my voice, being in my body, expressing myself. You have to give every part of yourself.”
She also shared that the part of Callas she most identified with was “the part of her that is extremely soft and has no room in the world to be as soft as she really was, as emotionally open as she really was. I share her vulnerability more than anything.”
Before entering the Sala Grande, he also shared a tender moment when he met a fan who was bedridden with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The actress knelt down and spoke to her supporter, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.
The star, currently in the midst of a lengthy divorce from Brad Pitt, made a welcome appearance on the red carpet ahead of the first official screening of the film, in competition, at the annual ceremony.
Jolie looked stunning in an elegant floor-length evening gown with off-the-shoulder detailing as she waved to photographers on the second day of this year’s festival.
The Changeling star looked visibly emotional and was seen wiping away tears after the audience in the Grand Hall rose to their feet to applaud her.
She was photographed being escorted down the stairs by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, 48, as the crowd continued to applaud her; seen with Pablo on the red carpet.
Jolie spoke about the project during a press conference on Thursday afternoon, revealing that she spent approximately seven months preparing for the demanding role.
The stunning stone-hued chiffon gown, designed exclusively for the actress by designer and couture house Tamara Ralph, featured draped detailing and a short train, with the dress finished with an elegant, fluffy faux fur stole and a gold floral brooch.
The star’s latest film is a biographical drama about opera singer Maria. It stars Angelina in the title role, with Valeria Golino as her sister Yakinthi and Haluk Bilginer as Aristotle Onassis.
“I take responsibility for Maria’s life and legacy very seriously,” Angelina said in a statement. “I will do everything I can to meet the challenge.”
The Tomb Raider star also mentioned the film’s director, Pablo, whom he said he had “admired for a long time.”
The mother of six added: “To be able to tell more of Maria’s story with him, and with a script by Steven Knight, is a dream.”
Angelina had never sung on screen – or in public – before signing on to play the legendary opera singer.
“Everyone here knows that. I was terribly nervous,” the Oscar winner told reporters at a news conference.
“I spent almost seven months training because when you work with Pablo you can’t do anything halfway. He demands, in the most wonderful way, that you really do the work and that you really learn and train.”
The film is a biographical drama about legendary opera singer Maria Callas; Angelina seen in a frame
She worked with opera singers and trainers to master correct posture, breathing and movement techniques; Maria seen in 1959
Angelina recruited vocal coach Eric Vetro, whose clients include Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, John Legend, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Rosalía and Charlie Puth.
“I remember the first time I sang I was so nervous. My kids were there and they helped me close the door so no one else could come in, and I was shaking. I was scared,” said Jolie, mother of Maddox, 23; Pax, 20; and Knox, 16.
‘Pablo, in his decency, started me off in a small theatre and finished me off at La Scala (the Paris opera house). So he gave me time to grow.’
The former Hollywood wild child, who grew up listening to The Clash, said her biggest “fear” would be “disappointing” Maria’s ardent fanbase: “I really came to care about her so I didn’t want to do this woman a disservice.”
And although the film is set largely in the 1970s, Angelina appears to recreate Callas’ (born Kalogeropoulos) performance at a 1958 Paris gala, which was broadcast on Eurovision.
The New York-born Greek singer’s powerful soprano voice had three distinct registers and measured just under three octaves, and she performed her last concert in 1965 after a vocal decline attributed to everything from dermatomyositis to early-onset menopause to her extreme 80-pound weight loss in 1954.
Maria, who had an affair with Aristotle Onassis while he was married to former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, spent her final 11 years living in Paris after renouncing her US citizenship and died aged 53 of a heart attack in 1977.
Angelina is lucky enough to wear some of Callas’s actual garments in the film, including vintage leather items from Massimo Cantini Parrini’s archive collection.
The film will cover her life story and end with her sad death in Paris after suffering vision problems that left her nearly blind.
The film will cover her life story and end with her sad death in Paris after suffering vision problems that left her nearly blind; (L) Angelina seen in a still image, (R) Callas photographed in 1971.
The director, best known for the biopics Jackie (about Jackie Kennedy, played by Natalie Portman) and Spencer (about Princess Diana, played by Kristen Stewart), said: “Having the opportunity to combine my two deepest and most personal passions, film and opera, has been a long-awaited dream.”
“Doing this with Angelina, an extremely brave and curious artist, is a fascinating opportunity. A true gift.”
Maria was written by Steven Knight before the WGA Hollywood strike and received a tentative SAG-AFTRA deal.
The actress has already played famous characters before: in 1998 she played the tragic supermodel Gia Carangi in Gia and in 2007 she played Mariana Pearl in the film A Mighty Heart.
