Angelina Jolie talks finding her voice after her ex made her think she “couldn’t really sing”

Jolie discussed the emotional journey of learning to sing for her portrayal of Maria Callas in her latest biopic.

Angelina Jolie, who portrays opera legend Maria Callas in the upcoming biopic Maria, recently opened up about the emotional experience of rediscovering her voice. 

In a candid interview, the 49-year-old actress revealed that she hadn't sung for years after being discouraged by a critical ex-partner.

Jolie shared with The Hollywood Reporter that her reluctance to sing stemmed from past criticism. “I had somebody in my life who was not kind to me about singing. 

It was a relationship I was in. And so I just assumed I couldn’t really sing,” she said. The experience of performing in Milan’s iconic La Scala opera house for the film was an “out-of-body” moment for her.

Further reflecting on the journey, Jolie explained how she had to confront and release long-held emotions to find her voice again. 

“I’d been to theater school, so it was weird that it even had an effect on me... I just kind of adapted to this person’s opinion,” she explained. After taking months of singing lessons, Jolie also discovered she was a soprano, a revelation that surprised her, as she had always assumed she had a lower voice.

The role required extensive preparation, with Jolie taking singing and Italian language classes to ensure she portrayed Callas accurately. 

“I would recommend almost every human being take an opera class,” she said, describing it as a transformative experience that allowed her to reconnect with her body and emotions.