Angelina Jolie reveals acting became harder after her mother's death: 'Realized how much it was for her'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Angelina Jolie has opened up about how her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, pushed her to pursue a career in acting and how her death made it "harder" for the Hollywood star to continue it.

In a recent interview with W magazine that was released on Friday, January 3, the 49-year-old 'Maria' star opened up about how her late mother pushed her to pursue acting when she was younger.

Angelina Jolie pursued her mother's 'dream' of becoming an actress

Speaking to W Magazine, the 'Maria' actress revealed how she and her late mother Marcheline Bertrand, who died of breast cancer in early 2007 at the age of 56, "were a team."

Jolie tried her hand at acting because she wanted to make Bertrand "happy," but she admitted she doesn't remember "making the choice," per Daily Mail.

She recalled how Bertrand initially attempted to pursue her own acting career, trying out for parts in Chicago theater as well as Los Angeles cinema and television. "I did it in the beginning because ... it was my mother's dream," she said.

"But by the time my mom was 25, she was divorced with two kids and she decided she would focus her life solely on motherhood," Jolie said.

Bertrand was divorced from Jolie's father, actor Jon Voight, by the time of her death. The ex-couples also had a son, James Haven, a 51-year-old former actor.

Jolie recalled of her late mother, "She loved being a stay-at-home mom, but she really wanted me to be an actress so I don't remember making the choice to be an actress. I remembered it made my mom happy."

The 'Salt' star used acting as a means of supporting her mother financially since Bertrand was her manager when she was a child. Jolie made her acting debut with her father in 'Lookin' to Get Out' in 1982 when she was six years old.

Jolie remembered, "We were a team. I always wanted to buy her a house and things like that — it kind of started that way."

The rest of Bertrand's life was spent close to her actress daughter. However, Bertrand tragically died in 2007 following a diagnosis of both breast and ovarian cancer. She died on January 27, 2007, at the age of 56.

As Jolie reflected on her mother's death, she stated, "When my mom passed, I think it it was harder for me to be an actress for while. I realized how much it was for her."

Angelina Jolie shares how Marcheline Bertrand's commitment to motherhood inspired her

The 'Mr & Mrs Smith' star has previously expressed openly how Marcheline Bertrand's death affected her. In a 2008 interview with Vanity Fair, Angelina Jolie talked about how her mother's commitment to parenthood inspired her.

"When [my mother] passed, I realized that somebody who lives life with that kind of dedication to their family is the most noble," Jolie said at the time.

"In her passing, she reminded me what matters. And what's most fun — to put yourself aside for these other little people you're raising," she added.

Jolie also wrote an essay for the New York Times in 2015 about how her mother influenced her life on both a personal and professional level.

"After she died, I found a video of her acting in a short film. She was good. It was all possible for her," she wrote at the time.

Jolie also penned a second essay for the New York Times in 2020 about the life and death of her mother. She likened losing her mother, who started her own production firm, Woods Road Production, in the early 2000s, to someone "ripping[away] a protective blanket."

While accepting the Performer Tribute at the Gotham Awards, Jolie recently spoke on how her mother's passion for theater and literature influenced her career and inspired her and Haven.

"I grew up with a mother who kept books inside the oven because there were more books in our house than shelves in the apartment we had," she told the audience.

"It was how she solved the problem, while still making sure we were fed. But it was her priority," she added.