‘Maria’ Star Angelina Jolie Says She Is Landing “Better Work” As She Gets Older

Angelina Jolie isn’t worried about age impacting her acting career, as her turn as Maria Callas continues to garner rave reviews.

The Maria star told The Sunday Times newspaper, “I’ve got better work as I’ve got older,” in an interview published over the weekend.

“I don’t think about it in terms of roles offered, but in terms of life experience you contribute,” added the actress, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for 1999’s Girl, Interrupted and was nominated for Best Actress for 2008’s Changeling.

Jolie, 49, said that ageing was “easier for actors than singers or dancers because your body doesn’t change,” and added she appreciates opera singer Callas’ “commitment” to performing despite a fear of getting older.

Netflix film Maria, directed by Pablo Larraín from a Steven Knight screenplay, sees Jolie playing the American-Greek soprano in her final days in Paris, as the diva reckons with her identity and life after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. In real life, Callas died of a heart attack at her Paris home in 1977 at age 53.

“Maria is vulnerable because she feels and isn’t sometimes able to protect herself from the loneliness or emotional pain, because it’s part of her life and work to be extremely human and live that way,” said Jolie. “You live through your communication with the audience. For Maria — and for me — that has always been extremely important.”

Maria had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it got a 10-minute ovation and landed almost universal praise for Jolie’s portrayal of Callas. It is open in select theaters already and releases on Netflix on Friday (December 6) after the streamer acquired the film just before it debuted at Venice.

Maria is the third film from Chilean director Larraín about iconic women after Spencer, which starred Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, and Jackie with Natalie Portman.