In a candid interview with BBC News in 2014, Hollywood icon Angelina Jolie revealed the charming backstory of casting her daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, in the role of young Princess Aurora in the film Maleficent.

Jolie shared that while all the other children on set cried at the sight of her portraying the iconic character Maleficent, she opted to cast Vivienne, the only five-year-old she knew who wouldn’t shed tears.

Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack

Jolie casually shrugged, when she was asked about her daughter Vivienne’s performance. The human rights activist and actor hesitantly expressed, “Um, yeah [shrugs] I mean, I’m always proud of her. Brad and I both find it so funny that she’s in a movie. Right now, she’s just lost all her three front teeth and just in her pajamas. She’s just this goofy little wonderful person we live with.”

Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Kevin Winter

Fast forward to August 2023, and 15-year-old Vivienne is reported to have taken on a role as Angelina’s assistant in the Broadway musical adaptation of The Outsiders. Commending her daughter’s strong work ethic, Jolie eloquently drew a heartfelt parallel to her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand. She highlighted Vivienne’s natural inclination to provide support to fellow creatives.

Jolie further stated, “Viv reminds me of my mother in that she isn’t focused on being the center of attention but in being a support to other creatives. She’s very thoughtful and serious about theater and working hard to best understand how to contribute. I studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute where I realized my first love, as a performer, was the theatre.” In a week prior, Jolie expressed her fortune in being part of the special production and reflected on her theater background. Having studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute, she revealed that her first love as a performer was theater. Jolie conveyed her enthusiasm about working with Vivienne, emphasizing her commitment to contribute while learning from the talented team she had been collaborating with since her daughter introduced her to the show at La Jolla Playhouse.

With Vivienne by her side, the renowned actress and director looks forward to both learning and contributing to this creative and familial collaboration. Since 2016, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been embroiled in a nasty and protracted divorce fight. Their six children have suffered psychologically over the past seven years as a result of the couple’s court battle. The 48-year-old Tomb Raider actress acknowledged in a recent interview with WSJ Magazine that she has changed how stress affects her life.

“We had to heal,” Jolie said regarding her post-divorce period with her kids. “There are things we needed to heal from,” the Eternals actress admitted while revealing that she will be leaving Hollywood soon to settle down in Cambodia.