The actress tells how to create six children, flies airplanes and dating Brad Pitt without fear of being spied on
MARCELO BERNARDES, NEW YORK
The life of a photogenic young mother of six children whose companion a Hollywood heartthrob (Brad Pitt), know how to fly airplanes and plays the role of aid worker obscures the career of actress Angelina Jolie. No wonder. Stunning in a black skirt Dolce & Gabbana jacket and gray rhinestones, Angelina, 35, is willing to open on everything, they will buy gifts for the children at Christmas to criticism of American public education, through the Web site WikiLeaks, Julian Assange. But his new film The Tourist, in which she plays a mysterious Englishwoman who seduces a professor of mathematics (Johnny Depp) on a trip to Venice, earned his sixth nomination for a Golden Globe this week.
SEASON - The latest paparazzi pictures, before you get to New York to promote the film The Tourist, show you shopping in Paris with her children.
Angelina Jolie - (laughter) - My seven year old son (Pax) had her birthday while I was promoting the tourist to the European press in Paris. We went out to buy gifts for him, and I also bought some things for Christmas. I love shopping for Christmas. I'm obsessed with putting these mothers present within half(laughs).
SEASON - What's missing in your list to buy for Christmas?
Angelina - Many things. My main concern is that all my children receive an equal number of gifts. My son of nine (Maddox) is more interested in getting him to use a virtual gold in the game World of Warcraft (laughs). My son of two(Knox) wants to assemble the Lego things. It takes a little time to assemble the whole list of them. (Laughs)
SEASON - What would be a perfect travel vacation for you?
Angelina - Anywhere I have not visited yet, and that my family could stay for a long time. We love to safaris, to stay in tents. We love Asia but never explored China, which is a place that is on my list of priorities. China, and also South America Any new place, that was not only heavenly, but we also offer some kind of physical adventure. So many kids, it's nice to do an adventure.
SEASON - Speaking in Brazil is South America is part of their route of priorities?
Angelina - Sure, at some point we'll have to visit Brazil. There is a film project in Brazil that Brad is contemplating for some time. The thing about traveling with my family, do we really expect to raise our children around the world. If there is a film project that we both like, of course it makes travel even more appetizing to us.
SEASON - Is there somewhere in the world that you can go without being recognized?
Angelina - Claro. But they are places I go, I'm recognized, but the difference is that people do not care (laughs). This is really cool. The maximum is flattery: "You're an artist! Legal.
TIME - You gave an interview last week saying he had to take lessons in good manners to make the film The Tourist.
Angelina - Yes. When did The Good Shepherd with Robert De Niro, had some etiquette classes to capture the behavior of American women in the 50s. In The Tourist, I told Florian (the director), it would be cool to have etiquette classes, they would be playing a European refinement. Do not want to sound fake. Being American, I wander and gestured differently.
SEASON - Then there was literally nothing you learn good manners?
Angelina - (laughter).No, though I think I could improve my manners in many ways (laughs). My character in the movie has a different rhythm, it's like to live in sophistication.We modern women and workers, we have many things to do during the day, and we have no time to slow down or step, put a glove slowly, or stop for tea in the afternoon (laughs).Sometimes slowing down makes us women feel a little weird for a while, but then we see that there is beauty in being able to take some time for us to breathe a little.
TIME - In one of the seduction scenes of the film, Johnny Depp's character asks if you would like to dine with him. Her character retorts, saying that women do not like questions, but a subtle statement of command. Do you identify with this?
Angelina - I do not like having anyone telling me what I gotta do (laughs). But like people with strong opinions, come to me and say what they feel. It's always nice to hear from a person who has a passion for a certain subject and you get to say what is important to her. In that sense, I am not against anyone trying to outdo me an opinion.
TIME - Here I sit with you, and there is this quality of movie star, but at the same time disarming one side, no press secretary to censor anything, without an entourage of fawning. You see yourself as a normal person?
Angelina - In very many respects I am a totally normal, simple. Firstly, I am a mother of six children. How not to walk on the floor? Wake up every morning and know that taking care of their health, their happiness will be the most important job of the day. And that's what really matters to me. But of course I am also able to expose one side totally irreverent and wild. Sure, absolutely!(Laughs)
TIME - Do you feel beautiful?
Angelina - I guess I feel pretty, that's different. I'm not doing narcissistic beauty be my focus. I think I feel this way because Brad makes me feel beautiful. My mother said I looked like her physically, and now I realize I'm like my daughter. That's beautiful. I'm in his 30s, and I feel more womanly, more mature, these things make me feel more beautiful.
TIME - Do you do yoga, weight lifting?
Angelina - You may not believe but I've never done yoga. I suck on exercises, gym. Should think about it, because I'm getting older and I know that yoga is great for the body's flexibility. But in my life at the moment, there is free time for exercise.
SEASON - With a brood of six, how many hours of sleep per night do you have?
Angelina - Not much, but aforturnadamente not need much sleep to feel energized. Used to suffer from insomnia when I was younger. Now, with a handful of children, I see this as a bonus (laughs).
SEASON - The public has this perception that you are a kind of superwoman, mother of six who suddenly appears next to refugees in Pakistan, three days later, running his first film in Budapest and in weekend, appears in a stunning film event.
Angelina - I always answer with some surprise the question: how can you do all these things: But every woman is so. We are multifaceted. On one hand this is extremely nurturing our appearance and on the other hand, this aspect has private, behind closed doors between (laughs). And women, when faced with urgent social and political issues, become acutely aware of the world around them, and want to help somehow. So there is nothing exotic in what I do.
SEASON - Another image that people make of you: the smartest actress in Hollywood.
Angelina - That's a compliment that I will accept it (laughs). Thank you. I think I'm smart enough to know that I have much to learn. So I know if I spend part of my day trying to learn certain things about the creation of my children, I am a better mother. Educate themselves about global causes, I know I can help on certain issues. There is a basic that you need to learn to do the right thing.Certainly, I consider myself much wiser today than 10 years ago.
SEASON - By the way, how you live next to as many diplomats in his world travels, what do you think of the WikiLeaks case?
Angelina - That's the kind of question that is not a safe answer to give (laughs).I think most people still do not fully understand the size of the thing.
SEASON - But suppose one of these documents leaked to the net, had information taken from a private discussion with his one international diplomat.What do you feel seeing this level of discussion becomes public?
Angelina - But I have nothing to hide. Actually, I think that would be a little proud that some of my private conversations with diplomats to become public, because I tend to be very combative when between four walls, trying to state my opinion on something I believe.
SEASON - With all these foreign trips to make, how you deal with the education of their children?
Angelina - I wish there was a book that teaches each parent how to navigate through the school system and how to design a method that meets the best interests and abilities of each child, and that would help them to understand things as diverse as culture, religion and politics . I think there is an urgent need to modernize the school system. I am increasingly involved with this, especially when traveling to different countries to see the s method of teaching each one. When I travel to another country for a long time is that I want my children to visit museums, take time to learn to play guitar, and read a book in the afternoon. I struggle to find a new way to develop things more directly to our children. Considering the amount of information we have at our disposal today, considering the Internet, the amount of books available on the Internet or new technologies, I think there should be a new method of exploring the teaching, but unfortunately our education system has not kept pace with geopolitical and technological changes. In the role of mother, it is my duty to think one way to shake things up and make education better.
SEASON - His children go to school or they have tutors?
Angelina - Both. When I ran a film in France, some of them went to school. In New York, Prague and Venice, where I worked last, we have always had teachers of different nationalities in our house. Pax has a teacher who teaches Vietnamese to him every day. We also have teachers from Africa to Zahara. It is as if we were building a team around us, to enrich our children culturally, from place of origin of each of them, but following a normal school curriculum and systematic, with homework and everything.
TIME - You learn other languages too?
Angelina - I try. Because my mother was born in France, I always had French lessons. But Maddox, who attends the Lycée Français, already gives me a bath in French. He officially left me behind (laughs). But I have to have challenges, otherwise nothing works for me. Maddox promised he would learn to fly a plane. And in a year, I learned. (Laughs). Now I think I owe him the fact of speaking French fluently, to practice the language with him. That's my challenge for next year.
SEASON - With their children exposed to all this kind of education, as is the teaching of religion to them?
Angelina - My mother was Catholic. She was a wonderful woman and have never said that I should follow this or that religion. And that made me turn into an extremely curious about other religions. With my children coming from different cultures, I got this habit of studying the various religions with them.When I'm in a country, we leave to visit a church or a temple site, and learn something different. Always explain to them that this is what these people believe and try to teach them a little about what is the faith of those people.
TIME - Where do you fit into all this: Do you consider yourself a spiritual person?
Angelina - I clearly have a long latent spirituality. Someone once told me he thought I was a humanist. I thought about it much, but I think what it meant to be a humanist is that I see through my children and refugees that meeting, it is possible to live together without hurting anyone, without hurting anyone, and the wisest thing to do is give the best of us. Again I quote my mother in this conversation. She was a very gracious and kind. My mother did not behave this way because of religion, or because of being embedded in her subconscious, through a holy book or sermon, she would go to hell if I did not do well. My mother was a person of good character just because she wanted to be, it made her feel better about herself.
TIME - You mentioned that he learned to fly. What is fascinating about piloting a plane?
Angelina - but you do not like to fly a plane too? (Laughs).
SEASON - Sure, but under the influence of some tranquilizers.
Angelina - (laughter) I remember my first solo flight. I thought I could feel that fear, because you never really know what might come to scare you in this life. I think fly to me represents freedom. Always wanted to learn to fly, I always loved airplanes and always loved watching the birds as a kid (laughs).
SEASON - Brad Pitt loves riding motorcycles. You share the same hobby?
Angelina - Yes, sometimes my motorcycle rider. I have an MV Augusta. But I'm not as good as the biker Brad
TIME - You just make a film as a director. Tell us a little of experiences.
Angelina - I learned a lot. Actually, now I think I'd rather just be the director instead of an actress (laughs). I worked with so many good actors and actresses in this film and can watch them working, from the point of view to give a direction to them, attempting to create the right light, attempting to create a position to enhance their performance, and capture a moment as one of their emotion, gave me great pleasure.
SEASON - Many celebrities try to copy his tattoos in Sanskrit now. And had some spelling errors!
Angelina - (laughter). Each one is individual. I have two tatuagems Sanskrit, representing every child that I adopted in Asia, reflecting their culture. My tattoos were done in tribal style, for a guy trained by monks and blessed by monks. Not that I went to a local tattoo artist. It was a very special tattoo that has few people intending that region and acting as a prayer for them to keep your family safe. When I saw the size of the needle (open arms), I was nervous for a moment (laughs). But it did not hurt (laughs).
TIME - How do you hide all those tattoos in movies?
Angelina - Easy, easy. They see you and paint. They put a piece of paper with a hole on top of the tattoo and throw the spray. Makes a noise like shuuuuuuu shuuuuuuuu, and voila! (Laughs)
