Angelina Jolie admits she felt ‘broken’ before taking on role in ‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’

'I think we all have those moments in our life when we just feel broken.'
May 11, 2021 2:30 p.m. EST
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Angelina Jolie stars in the new movie Those Who Wish Me Dead as a veteran smokejumper named Hannah who is still battling the loss of three lives she failed to save from a fire when she finds a Connor, a traumatized 12-year-old boy on the run with nowhere else to turn. 

Jolie told Etalk’s Chloe Wilde that she can really relate to the character because she was feeling “a little bit" broken when she took on the opportunity.

“I think we all have those moments in our life when we just feel broken and we just don’t know if we’ve still got it in us or if we’ve ever had it in us. That’s where we meet her and I was feeling a little bit like that personally,” Jolie admitted.

She continued: “She’s not a perfect person, she’s not a superhero. She’s a very, very flawed, very regular person but she’s a little crazy and very determined and pushes herself. I hope that’s a character that people will relate to, actually.”

There’s a scene in the trailer for Those Who Wish Me Dead where viewers see Jolie’s Hannah and Finn Little’s Connor holding hands under the water. They exude a bond that can’t be broken as Hannah tries to help save Connor’s life. 

Jolie’s character doesn’t ~love~ kids but Little says that Jolie and Hannah naturally differ from each other.

“It was a little difficult because Angelina is such a nice and loving person and she, as a mother, naturally would probably want to take care of me and this kid in the forest running from people trying to kill me,” Little explained. “But Hannah is very different [from Angelina]. She’s suffering from a lot and it’s a challenge for her to connect. It was fun exploring that with Angelina.”

Jolie hopes that viewers can learn a lot from Hannah and her journey with PTSD, including how she was able to move through it in such an empowering way.

“In part, Finn mentioned earlier, his character, as well, has obviously suffered because of what he’s witnessed and what he’s experienced so we’re both suffering when we meet each other. There’s a moment where he asks if he can trust me and I think there’s a big lesson in that,” Jolie said.

“When you have been hurt or when you feel down, you often feel so isolated and it’s hard to know what you have within yourself and be strong within yourself and whether you can start to reconnect and trust people again and be open to people,” Jolie continued.

“You have to be and so a lot of their overcoming their pain is trusting in each other and finding a new way forward and a new bond.”

BEFORE YOU GO: Gal Gadot opens up about Joss Whedon

[video_embed id='2198769']BEFORE YOU GO: Gal Gadot opens up about Joss Whedon[/video_embed]


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