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ANGELINA Jolie returns to the big screen as she stars in the biographical drama film Maria, out now in theatres.
Directed by Pablo Larraín and written by Steven Knight, it follows the seven days before opera singer Maria Callas’s death in Paris in 1977. Callas reflects on the highs and lows of her life and career.
The movie is director Pablo’s third instalment in his important 20th-century women trilogy, preceded by Spencer (2021) about Princess Diana and Jackie (2016) about Jacqueline Kennedy.
American-Greek soprano Maria was one of the most influential opera singers of her era, praised for her wide-ranging voice and singing techniques.
She spent her last years living mostly in isolation in the French capital, until she died of a heart attack at 53.
Angelina revealed that she had gone through seven months of training to sing opera for the film, which is a first in her career as she has not sung for a film role before.
“My first time singing I remember being so nervous, my sons were there and they helped lock the door so that nobody else was coming in and I was shaky,” she said.
“Pablo, in his decency, started me in a small room and ended me in La Scala (a theatre in Paris where the filming took place) so he gave me time to grow,” she added.
The actress explained that she deeply cared about honouring the opera singer’s legacy and her fans, and it was a priority for her to do the icon justice.
Director Pablo expressed that, through the film, he wanted to celebrate the late artist’s career and artistry rather than focusing on the low points of her life and the tragedy of her death.
“I didn’t want to make a dark movie about a tragic situation, but rather about a woman who spent her life singing for others, taking care of others, worrying about her relationships, and now she’s ready to take care of herself and find her own destiny.”
