Angelina Jolie talks playing legendary opera singer Maria Callas and conquering fear of singing in ‘Maria’ – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale
Angelina Jolie is doing it the hard way. She’s playing an opera singer in “Maria.” You know she could’ve faked it. She could’ve lip-synched.
Instead, the Oscar-winning actress conquered her fear of singing with a little help from the legendary opera singer she’s portraying.
Angelina Jolie (as Maria Callas): [singing]
Angelina Jolie (as Maria Callas): “An exaltation. An intoxication.”
Angelina Jolie is ‘Maria’ in a biopic about the world’s greatest opera singer, Maria Callas. A role that was challenging for the actress.
Angelina Jolie: “I trained for months, but my first days, he was very good to me in that we started in a more intimate first. With very few crew members.”
Angelina Jolie (as Maria Callas): [singing]
Angelina Jolie: “And we ended at La Scala with everyone, so I had a little time to get my nerve. But this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I was terrified.”
Terrified or not, she still sang her heart out. But Angie had a wonderful teacher.
Angelina Jolie: “She actually taught classes, so I had the great fortune of having audio of her explaining what you need to do to sing. So my best teacher was Maria.
Pablo Larraín: “At Julliard right?”
Angelina Jolie: “Yeah.”
From a directing point of view, Miss Jolie was perfect for the film.
Pablo Larraín: “Very early on the shoot, I felt you know, being behind the camera that she had captured that presence. Maria Callas is someone that captivated people not only by singing, but also hiding things. That dance of feelings and sensibility I think was captured by Angie very quickly.”
Finding a connection with her character was all love.
Angelina Jolie: “When I put her big glasses on, and her greek hair and I sat in my little robe as an older lady. I felt a her that felt like the private her that the world didn’t know. And I connected to her first.”
The real-life Maria went through a lot of ups and downs. For Angelina, it was all relatable.
Angelina Jolie: “We’re actually more fragile, and when we need to fight, we fight for ourselves, or for those we love, or for our art. But I think deep down there’s a fragility that I identified with and a loneliness.”
Angelina Jolie (as Maria Callas): “There is no reason in opera.”
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