While Angelina Jolie’s latest movie, Unbroken — which hit the big screen in America on Christmas Day — has received some mixed reviews from critics, for Jolie herself, the making of the film was “life-changing,” and even led her to becoming a “better person.”
An article in the Hollywood Reporter reveals that the experience of turning late Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini’s life story into a movie had a dramatic effect on Angelina Jolie.
Having met Zamperini before his death earlier this year, Jolie said she learned a lot from meeting him and hearing about his story of survival.
“I learned to be a better person. I learned to be more open to my fellow man, to understanding, to seeing the other side. I learned that when you have hate and anger and you let it eat you up, it’s only hurting you – it doesn’t hurt your enemy.”
In getting unusually philosophic, Angelina Jolie went on to share with the publication her thoughts on everything from the world news to daily challenges faced by everyday people.
“And I learned that when we look at the news today and we see all the things going on in the world and we feel like all is lost that in fact there is great strength. A strong heart and indomitable will and unbreakable spirit that exists in each one of us. It made me face every day and every challenge differently. It’s going to make me raise my children differently. Because that fire we see in our children is a great thing, and I certainly was one of those people that thought this fire inside was maybe a bad thing. There is beauty to unrest and fight; we have to teach our children to channel it the right way.”
In extolling the virtues of Louis Zamperini, Jolie waxed lyrical about the concept of being “broken.”
“When Louis had an obstacle, no matter what it was, he thought, ‘Fantastic. I’m not going to be broken’. And broken is not about losing the war; broken is not about failing. Broken is about losing heart and losing sense of who you are and letting life take you off track or make you dark.”
A few weeks before the release of the movie, Angelina Jolie surprised her fans by revealing that she had always hated acting and much preferred working behind the camera.
