Angelina Jolie’s heartbreaking admission about divorce from Brad Pitt: ‘Lights dimmed’

Angelina Jolie got candid about how her divorce from ex-husband Brad Pitt affected her while filming her latest movie, Maria.

In the film, the 49-year-old plays the famed opera singer Maria Callas, an American-Greek soprano who lived a tumultuous public life.  

Speaking to Times Radio about the role, which garnered her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, Angelina revealed that she deeply connected to her character as they both had their “lights dimmed” by heartbreak.

“I think you’re an artist, and you go through different things in life, and you wonder if certain parts of you have shut down, or who you are, what you have inside of you, and if your light’s dimmed,” she said, before adding, “And if you have less to contribute, or if you don’t know your yourself, and so to push and rediscover things and try for things that I hadn’t ever tried.”

Until recently, Angelina and Brad have been locked in a bitter divorce battle since the mother of six filed in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. 

The couple, who first met on the set of Mr and Mrs Smith in 2004, were together for over 12 years and married for two before an alleged incident on their private plane led to their split. 

Their divorce was finalized after eight years in December 2024, following a legal fight over their shared vineyard in France. 

Despite their bitter split, Angelina revealed that she feels better than ever in her career. 

“What a gift as an artist, to be pushed again at this time in my life, to do something that terrified me and I wasn’t sure I could do is the greatest gift,” she told Times Radio. 

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For the role, Angelina had to take voice lessons and sing the challenging operatic tunes that her character was famous for.

“Failing Maria Callas and the people who loved her really scared me,” she told Access Hollywood ahead of the Golden Globes.

“This was a big fear, but it’s fun. I mean, what are we alive for if not to confront our fears and get our hearts pumping and, you know, try things we’re not sure of? This is my decade of do what scares you.”

© Pablo Larraín/Netflix

The Lara Croft actress previously revealed to Vanity Fair that she went through a “dark time” after her divorce, prompting a career break. 

“I went very dark for reasons I’d rather not explain, but I didn’t have a lot of light and life within me. Your light’s dim,” she told the publication.

“Really, I think Maria was the beginning of starting to come alive again. I needed a lot of kind people around me to hold my hand.”

© Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Image

She continued: “At the end of the day, we’re very fortunate to do what we do, and we are spending a lot of time with big, deep, emotional feelings. If you don’t do that with people who you’re safe with, it can affect you in very bad ways.”

Brad and Angelina share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.