Angelina Jolie Worried She Was 'Too Broken' To Play Maleficent In Sequel

Angelina Jolie didn’t find the strength to return to acting overnight. The actress revealed that after “a few years of difficulty” she was hesitant to put on the horns and reprise her role as Maleficent. However, after a four year hiatus, Angelia, 44 received positive energy from her six children and was inspired to return to the big screen. She will reprise her role of the titular character in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, set to hit theaters on October 18.

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“It was a tough time,” the Girl, Interrupted star told People. “I’d been coming off a few years of difficulty, and I was not feeling very strong. In fact, I was feeling pretty broken. It took me a moment to feel the strength of [Maleficent] again.”

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When Angelina was asked about where her inner strength came from, she said it was from her kids. The actress shares six children with her ex-husband Brad Pitt: Maddox, 18, Pax, 15, Zahara, 14, Shiloh, 13, Vivienne, 11, and Knox, 11.

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The kids accompanied the Unbroken actress to several of the Maleficent sequel's premieres. At the Los Angeles premiere on September 30, Angelina gushed about how much she appreciates their presence in her life. “It's just so wonderful to have their [support]," she said. “They're my friends.”

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The Academy Award winning actress’ six children joined her in London during most of the filming for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

Maleficent The Mistress of Evil European Premiere

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She also revealed in July about how excited they were about her returning to the silver screen and reprising her role in the Disney film. “What’s really moving to me is that they want to see me strong, and so it’s less to see me in a film, but they’re just happy I will be strong and having fun,” she confessed.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Japan Premiere

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Angelina filed for divorce from Brad, 55, in September 2016 after only two years of marriage. The couple had dated for nine years before tying the knot. She reportedly made the decision to divorce the Ad Astra actor “for the health of her family.” The Lara Croft actress and Fight Club star were declared legally single in April 2019, and reached a custody agreement for their six kids in November 2018.