Angelina Jolie is getting ready for a busy awards season. The beloved actress and filmmaker premiered her film "Maria," where she stars in the lead role of Maria Callas, at the Venice Film Festival. The film, directed by Pablo Larrain, was met with rapturous applause, prompting an eight-minute standing ovation that left Jolie in tears.
© Stephane Cardinale - Corbis"Maria" premiered this past Thursday night at the Sala Grande Theatre in Venice. Upon its conclusion, audience members rose to their feet and clapped and cheered for Jolie, who seemed incredibly moved, crying and turning away to shield herself from viewers. She hugged Larrain and the rest of her cast and crew members, in a moment that likely launched her Oscar campaign after years of making films that received no major critical recognition.
Jolie reportedly learned how to sing for the role, a challenge that she's considered one of the greatest of her significant and lengthy career. “Everybody here knows, I was terribly nervous,” she said at a press conference when discussing her experience singing opera.
“I spent almost seven months training because when you work with Pablo you can’t do anything by half. He demands, in the most wonderful way, that you really do the work and you really learn and train.”
She revealed that her kids helped her stay calm and focused. “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. So he gave me time to grow.”
You can watch Jolie's emotional moment below.
Jolie's opinion regarding Oscar consideration
Jolie also addressed the Oscar buzz that's surrounding her performance, making it clear that her focus was always to honor Callas.
“My fear would be to disappoint [the fans],” she said. “If there’s a response to the work, I’m very grateful, but… I really came to care for her, so I didn’t want to do a disservice to this woman.”
