Angelina Jolie Reveals Why It Was 'Not Possible' To Direct Films After Divorce From Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie is opening up about a recent change in her personal life that led to her taking more acting jobs. After years as a butt-kicking superstar on the big screen with roles in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” Angelina began to shift her focus from acting toward directing, instead taking on projects behind-the-scenes. She directed dramas like “Unbroken” and “First They Killed My Father.” But – Angie hasn’t directed since 2017 and has largely stayed out of acting too. And after that long hiatus, 2021 will mark her return to action films with a starring role in “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” a survival thriller about Hannah, a firefighter, who is tasked with protecting a 12-year-old boy through the Montana wilderness. The mother-of-six recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly that a change in her personal life brought her back to acting. "I love directing, but I had a change in my family situation that's not made it possible for me to direct for a few years," she told the outlet. That change? Her divorce from Brad Pitt. [caption id="attachment_599937" align="alignnone" width="3280"]

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt split in 2016. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI)[/caption] The “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” costars wed in 2014 after nine years together and share six kids between the ages of 12 and 19. But, Angelina filed for divorce in 2016 and has been dealing with divorce proceedings and custody battles with Brad since then. "I needed to just do shorter jobs and be home more, so I kind of went back to doing a few acting jobs. That's really the truth of it,” she explained. [caption id="attachment_592574" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Angelina Jolie with children Knox Leon Jolie-Pitt, Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt, Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt and Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt attend "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" Special Screening at Crosby Street Hotel on February 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix)[/caption] Now that she is acting more, she told Entertainment Weekly that she is drawn to films that allow her to use her stunt skills while also exploring new depths which is something that attracted her to the film. But the movie challenged her as well. She told the publication she had a hard time suppressing her parental instincts. "My character is not maternal by nature. Sometimes Taylor [the director] would correct me because my behavior towards a child was different from [Hannah’s] behavior towards a child. It took me a little bit to treat [my costar, Finn Little] badly, but I got there!" Angelina told the outlet. “Those Who Wish Me Dead” hits theaters and HBO Max May 14. The movie star can also be seen in the upcoming Marvel film “Eternals” in November. Access Hollywood’s podcast “The Vault” features decades worth of A-list interviews and never-before-heard moments with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Listen now!