Angelina Jolie Dark Past Exposed, Alleged Drug Use Revealed By ‘Tomb Raider’ EP
Angelina Jolie’s dark past almost ended her career in Hollywood. Radar Online reports that directors drug tested Jolie on a daily basis for cocaine and heroin on the set of the 2001 movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
According to Hollywood Reporter, the shocking news was revealed in executive producer Sherry Lansing’s new biography, Leading Lading: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker. In one excerpt, Simon West, the director of Tomb Raider, admitted that Jolie’s shady past almost cost her the role.
“She definitely had some baggage and something of a dark reputation.”
In 1999, a shocking video showed Jolie interacting with her drug dealer, Franklin Meyer. The clip featured Jolie in a conversation with her father after scoring some cocaine and heroin in New York City. Jolie was also known for her strange relationship with her brother and her tendency to carry around a vial of blood on her neck. Despite her bad reputation, West admitted that her dark past persuaded him to give her a shot.
“Funnily enough, that was one of my selling points: This troubled and dangerous aspect in her reputation actually helped the character.”
West didn’t give Jolie the role without some conditions. When he flew out to meet Jolie, who was working on the movie Original Sin, the actress said she’d do anything to land the part, even if that meant subjecting herself to daily drug tests.
“We would put a team around her for two purposes,” a member of the production crew shared.
“One really was practical: to get her into great shape for the movie, not only in terms of appearance but to do what she had to do onscreen. Then there was this notion that we had to give her spiritual and psychological support.”
The precautions paid off as the film went on to make $275 million in the box office. For Angelina Jolie, the film marked a turning point in her career and she has enjoyed success in Hollywood ever since.
Meanwhile, Jolie is currently in the midst of her divorce with Brad Pitt. While the two work through their custody arrangement, the Daily Mail reports that Jolie might buy a historic mansion in Los Feliz, California. The actress is reportedly thinking about purchasing Cecil B. DeMille’s mansion, which was built back in 1913 and is worth around the $25 million mark.
An inside source told the outlet that Jolie “wants to make this her new home” with her six children. The lavish estate features six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms and rests on a little over two acres.
The decision to buy the mansion comes after Jolie and Pitt decided to put their French estate, Chateau Miraval, up for sale. The estranged couple allegedly valued the property and are expected to put it on the market in the coming weeks. They purchased the home, which includes an award-winning vineyard, in 2012 for $60 million.
Jolie and Pitt have not finalized their divorce, though things have cooled down between them in recent weeks. They were together for over a decade before parting ways last September and share six children together — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox.
Pitt and Jolie haven’t commented about the status of the divorce, but the actor has been spending more time with the brood lately. In fact, sources just revealed that Pitt actually spent time with the kids during a recent trip to Cambodia. The family was in the country to promote Jolie’s newest movie, First They Killed My Father.
Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker releases in stores on April 25, 2017.
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[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
