Angelina Jolie's Son Worked as an Executive Producer at the Age of 15 - More About Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt

Angelina Jolie's eldest son, Maddox Jolie Pitt, started his career in the entertainment industry as a teen. He encouraged his mom to create a film about his home country Cambodia and helped her with the script.

Besides her blockbuster films, Angelina Jolie is known for being the mother to adopted kids from around the world. Her first child, Maddox Jolie Pitt, came from Cambodia and brought Angelina to tears during their first encounter.

He has since been raised around flashing lights in the entertainment industry. At a young age, he was exposed to life behind the screen and became an executive producer at 15.

Angelina Jolie Immersed Herself in Cambodia before Adopting Maddox

Before adopting crossed her mind, Angelina first realized her greater purpose after reading Loung Ung's memoir, "First They Killed My Father." Touched by the story, she educated herself about the world around her before reaching out to the United Nations.

After becoming the goodwill ambassador for High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina returned to Cambodia for NGO work. There, she met the author of the book she read and unexpectedly became a good friend.

When Jolie felt comfortable, she asked Ung about adopting a Cambodian child. "I asked her as a Cambodian orphan if she would be offended for somebody like me, an outsider, [to do that], or if that would be a nice thing," Angelina said.

Ung supported Angelina's desire to adopt. A few months after starting the process, she visited an orphanage in Battambang. However, as Angelina met various children, she felt no connection to any of them. This is when they told the actress of baby Maddox inside an open box suspended from the ceiling. The moment they locked eyes, the actress "cried and cried."

Maddox, born in Cambodia on August 5, 2001, lived in the orphanage until seven months old. When Angelina married Brad Pitt, he officially adopted Maddox as his own. Unfortunately, following an alleged physical altercation on a plane, the two became estranged.

Maddox Became an Executive Producer at Age 15

Although Maddox moved to the US, he still had strong feelings for his home country. According to Angelina, Maddox encouraged her to create a film about Cambodia and contributed to making the script.

To learn more about his culture, including the darkest parts of it, Maddox lived in Cambodia for over four months. Angelina said of her son:

"Mad knows himself very well, and if he said he was ready, I knew he knew."

Maddox was listed as an executive producer when the film "First They Killed My Father" came out in 2017. He was only 15 at that time. The movie was about the Cambodian genocide by the Khmer Rouge regime.

Maddox Has a Good Relationship with His Mother

Maddox has since followed his own path and received his college education at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. Although he had to attend classes from home amidst the pandemic, he planned to return once the institution opened again.

Still, he receives guidance from his mom, with whom he shares a good relationship. In a previous interview, Maddox described Angelina as a "fun, funny, and easy to work with" parent. "She's a wonder," he added.

In 2023, the mother and son attended the state dinner with President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the White House.

Angelina has had good relations with Asian countries, including South Korea, where Maddox studied. She has also been back and forth to the country for her advocacy as a humanitarian and refugee activist.

Besides Maddox, Angelina has five other children: Zahara Marley, Shiloh Nouvel, Pax Thien, Knox Leon, and Vivienne Marcheline. Admittedly, Angelina Jolie sometimes feels a deeper connection with her adopted children, including Zahara, from Africa.