Despite Angelina Jolie’s Acting Career, Her Life Could Have Changed after Grandpa’s Funeral

Angelina Jolie has stayed relevant for several years. Although she has received tons of accolades for her talent and impact in entertainment, she has also endured trying times in her personal life.

American Actress, Filmmaker, and Humanitarian Angelina Jolie has remained one of the most talked-about stars in Hollywood.

Her career has seen her clinch some of the industry's top awards and feature in blockbuster movies like "Salt," "Maleficent," "Girl, Interrupted," and many more.

Although Jolie appears to have an interesting life on screen, her personal life has been laced with tragic experiences. The actress has struggled with childhood trauma, drug addiction, and broken relationships.

Jolie seems to have focused her attention on being a better version of herself despite being subjected to difficult circumstances. And many people admire her strength and charisma. However, the actress once believed that she was perceived as a bad person.

THE DEVILS THAT LURK IN ANGELINA JOLIE

A writer for Rolling Stone, Mim Udovitch, once wrote about her conversation with the "Maleficent" star. The journalist made it known that Jolie felt many thought something dark about her because of her tattoos.

Jolie revealed that people always assumed she frequently thought about death. However, she described herself as the least morbid person.

Udovitch relayed that another reason behind people's dark perception of the actress was the little plaque by the sink in her bathroom. The plaque had the words, "some days, it's not worth chewing through the leather straps in the morning," written on it.

UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT ANGELINA JOLIE

The actress may not consider herself a dark person, but a few revelations about her are quite interesting.

Udovitch's written piece mentioned that Jolie collected knives, which she unapologetically admitted to using for sexual activities. In addition, the filmmaker is bisexual — a fact she stylishly revealed to an outlet during an interview.

The suffering and poverty she witnessed in the world changed her narrative about life.

JOLIE ON BEING A FUNERAL DIRECTOR

Jolie has spent several years achieving immense fame and fortune as an actress; however, other aspects of life interest the star.

The renowned actress once had a dream of opening a funeral home. She made this thought known when she sat down for an interview with Bob Simon of 60 Minutes.

While speaking to the reporter, the Oscar-award-winning actress noted that she once thought about being a funeral director. Jolie revealed that although the idea sounded dark, it stemmed from her experience with her grandfather's funeral.

For the on-screen star, losing someone, dealing with the loss, and the concept of death needed to be addressed differently. She explained that she always felt like funerals were not a celebration of the dead person's life.

In addition, the actress believed that crossing over could be a beautiful thing and a time of comfort where people could reach each other.

The "Tomb Raider" star saw funerals as a tradition and considered herself drawn to traditional things. Jolie believes that it might be the reason she is very focused on funerals.

According to Jolie, if her acting career had not panned out well, she would have pursued being a funeral director. Jolie also spoke candidly about her dark side and how she has managed to keep it tamed.

The mother of six explained that she was still a bad girl and still had her dark side inside. However, her relationship with Brad Pitt, who she was dating at the time, had succeeded in keeping her in check. Above all, Jolie knew she was lucky to have gotten past her dark phase.

JOLIE'S IMPERFECT CHILDHOOD

Angelina Jolie was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 4, 1975, to star parents Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand. Sadly, the director never experienced the joy of living in the same house with her parents.

When she was only two years old, Voight and Bertrand separated. The latter got custody of the children, and Jolie had to move to different places in New York with her mother and brother, James.

At 11, she and her family finally moved back to Los Angeles. The trio lived happily and shared an amazing bond until Bertrand passed away.

JOLIE'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HER DAD

Jolie revealed that she learned to communicate with her father as a person as she grew older. According to her, they still go out to dinner.

She also revealed he would watch her movies to see how she was as a woman, and the actress would also watch her father's films to see how he was. Overall, their relationship was not terrible.

STRUGGLE WITH DRUGS AND DEPRESSION

In addition to her separated family situation, Jolie also struggled with depression and drug abuse. The humanitarian thought she was unstable and always wanted to be out of her body.

She struggled with insomnia, and to try to escape her issues, Jolie tattooed a window on her body. The actress said the tattoo was inspired by her desire to be somewhere else. According to her, wherever she was, she always stared out of the window.

Her depression led her to heroin abuse and thoughts of suicide. Commendably, Jolie never gave in to her suicidal thoughts.

The suffering and poverty she witnessed in the world changed her narrative about life, and she successfully freed her mind from the bondage.

She admits to being wild but believes that her wildness was more about being free and silly than destructive. Currently, Jolie is focused on her career and being an amazing mother to her six children, Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox, and Vivienne.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org.