CGO Interview with Angelina Jolie
Featured interview by Thomas Chau, contributing editor
“So what haven’t you been asked yet?” jokes a reporter as Angelina Jolie comes down to sit at our table. All Jolie can do is roll her eyes and smile. She knows from out-of-left-field questions. In the past year and a half, Jolie separated from her second husband, actor Billy Bob Thorton, after a much-publicized marriage that included them exchanging their blood, and their openness about their wild sex life. Jolie also went public about her problems with her father, actor Jon Voight, who she wishes to avoid for the rest of her life.
In Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Jolie reprises her role as the sexy Lara Croft, heir to the Croft Mansion and an adventurous explorer in search of historical artifacts. This time, Croft must stop a madman named Dr. Jonathan Reece (Ciarán Hinds), from retrieving Pandora’s Box, which is buried in a mysterious location somewhere in the world known as The Cradle of Life. Pandora’s Box holds the key to life, and once its opened, unleashes a fury of pain and suffering upon all those around it.
Jolie sat down in NYC to talk to us about returning to the role of Lara Croft.
UGO: This is your first-ever sequel. Are there any other characters you would like to revisit? And also, why did you choose to do Lara Croft: Tomb Raider again?
Angelina Jolie: I’d like to catch up with Lisa from Girl, Interrupted. I think she’s in New York. (Laughs.)
We wanted to revisit [Tomb Raider] because we all had fun with the first one, and I think it was hard to just go from the game to the [movie]. I think we had to keep a lot, and couldn’t adjust too much, yet in this one, we wanted to sell its story. We wanted a story that we could adjust to, we wanted her to be a real flesh and blood woman with relationships. So there was so much we didn’t feel satisfied with in the first one. To do a second one was also because I just wanted to finish it right, and do it right.
UGO: What has being an action heroine meant to you? Do you see yourself as any kind of role model for women?
AJ: I’d like to think so, in some way. I like Lara. I like her sense of adventure and travel, and the fact that she would fight to death for somebody she loves. She loves other cultures and other people and that’s wonderful. And, she’s athletic, so I think those are good things for other women to focus on.
UGO: What was it like working with the Pokot tribe in Africa?
AJ: It was wonderful. I’ve been to Africa a few times before, and I’ve been back since. I love working with all tribes, and they were wonderful and sweet. They all thought that we were kind of funny, and it’s beautiful. That’s kind of what I wish more films were about; having experiences and really learning about other things in the world. We asked them if they needed anything, and they said water, and unfortunately that’s the case for a lot of people. So we did surveys and tried to find water in the ground.
UGO: What do you enjoy as an actress? Are you more of a character person, driven in the scene, or do you enjoy the challenge of taking on such a huge project as this movie?
AJ: I like to do bits of both. I’ve been really fortunate that I’m able to do a film such as Beyond Borders, which is out in a few months. I was emotional and so heavy in a certain part of myself as a woman. To be able to jump into something, have fun, and take an adventure is difficult. I like them both and I feel fortunate that I can balance.
UGO: Do you think that the physicality of Lara allows you to put yourself in the mindset of a woman like that?
AJ: Yeah, absolutely. It’s like going to boot camp or something. It sets you off, so you feel a certain confidence and focus.
UGO: Jan mentioned that becoming a mother yourself helped you make Lara more softer.
AJ: Yeah, but I think she’s harder in this one as well, I think she’s grittier and tougher. I think that, not just by becoming a mother, but by traveling around the world, and I certainly think that I have a compassion, and that my mind’s in a different place. It’s not just by becoming a mother, but certainly, I think over the last few years, from the first one to this one, I’ve changed as a person.
UGO: How accommodating is Jan de Bont as a director?
AJ: I think we fight pretty even. (Laughs.) I think he’s made a great film, and if a director is really fighting for something he believes in, and fighting to get shots because he’s got a vision, then that’s great.
UGO: How do you feel about becoming the face of Lara Croft?
AJ: It’s funny. It’s all strange. Maddox sees the poster and says, “Mom, hey!” and just thinks “Mamma!”
UGO: And they’ve gotten to a point where they can’t imagine doing the franchise without you…
AJ: It’s strange. But I like her, I really like her, and I’m flattered, because I think she’s a cool lady.
UGO: Assuming the continued the success of the franchise, how much longer do you see yourself playing this character?
AJ: I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll do another one. I think we’ll see how the audience responds and if they want another one, and if we can think of some great new things we can do.
UGO: When it comes to difficult action scenes, how sensitive are you about letting the stunt people take over, or do you like doing them yourself?
AJ: I like to do as much as I possibly can, and as much as insurance will allow me, because I love doing them. I love the opportunity to try something new, and I’m an adrenaline junkie. I think it’s part of the character and feels like, if you’re going to be Lara, then you better be able to back it with skills and guts.
UGO: So which stunt were you the most pleased with?
AJ: I was particularly pleased with the horse, at the end of the day.
UGO: Why?
AJ: Just simply because [the filmmakers] felt that she needed to have a big stallion. I thought that a nice, sweet little horse would be nice to work with. (Laughs.) But they thought that it needed to be a really big, strong horse that had a mind of its own. It was the toughest thing. But doing that, spinning the shotgun, and going side saddling – that was a lot of different skills to put together and I was very happy that we accomplished that.
UGO: Have you ever side saddled before?
AJ: Funny enough, I had, in a period piece years ago. But not to that extent. In order to practice spinning the shotgun, I did that on my own and got all these bruises on my arm. I did that on a box, and then on the box sideways, and then I got on the horse sideways.
UGO: So having done all these stunts, do you feel like you’ve gotten your fill for now?
AJ: I don’t know. I do love doing all the stuff and any time something comes my way that’s a challenge, I’ll jump into it, so I don’t really think about it. But certainly, I’m just one of those people.
UGO: Another impressive scene is the one in which you fought with the rifle. How long did that take to shoot, and how much did you train for that?
AJ: The Thai stuntmen came to the house. (Laughs.) I thought that I would just practice for a half and hour, and then they would go, but they didn’t leave for about two and a half hours, until I got to point 1 to 26. There would be all these different moves, and the amount of times I got my braid stuck in the thing. So we took a few big steps like that, and we practiced and practiced. And finally, in the end, I thought it was so good, because I had it down. But then he came at me, like, really seriously at me with the swords! My heart was beating and it was like being in a fight.
UGO: All of the training you’ve had, can you use that in your daily life?
AJ: I’ve been joking to people that I can’t make an omelet for my son, but that I could kill someone with a broom. (Laughs.)
UGO: Have you had any weird experiences with any of the hardcore fans of the Tomb Raider games?
AJ: I don’t know. They’ve only been good experiences. The only weird thing is when I run into seven year olds, or eight year olds, who can’t associate the difference. I’m just Lara Croft, and they’re really confused that I have a baby, and they’re kind of upset about it. (Laughs.) So that’s been the strangest thing.
UGO: If you were to stop and look back at your film career, would you say that you’re satisfied, or is there more that you would want to accomplish?
AJ: Um, yeah, I’m satisfied. I feel like I’ve communicated different things through different films, and I think that’s wonderful, and that I’ve learned a lot about myself as a woman. I’ve had some good projects that have helped me grow up, or helped me express something inside myself that I desperately needed to. I’ve felt so fortunate. What I’ve accomplished, I don’t think about it as much because I’m able to keep working. And that’s a good thing.
UGO: So if you could have one superhero power, what would you choose and why?
AJ: Probably to influence the minds of leaders who make the decisions for the world.
Author: Thomas Chau – Contributing Editor
Date: 07/14/2003 01:30
Courtesy of UGO.com
This entry was posted on Monday, July 14th, 2003 at 6:46 am and is filed under Angelina Jolie Interviews.
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