Angelina Jolie is always pursuing fame in artistic and commercial recognition
Angelina Jolie is feeling conflicted about the outcomes of her most recent directing endeavors.
A person close to Jolie’s camp claims that the actress finds it difficult to reconcile the positive reviews for Without Blood with the failure of her movie Maria.
“Angelina is a little annoyed that she’s having to juggle the solid success of Maria… and her passion project Without Blood,” according to a source.
The novel by Alessandro Baricco is adapted as Without Blood, which delves into the horror that remains after surviving acts of brutality. Critics didn’t think much of this movie, despite Jolie’s humanitarian efforts and her previous hits like First They Killed My Father and In the Land of Blood and Honey.
“Leaving its mismatched stars… flailing with words, anecdotes and frustratingly tedious and abstract conversations that feel like they’re searching for meaning,” was how The Guardian’s Radheyan Simonpillai described the movie in his critique.
Jolie’s biopic of opera icon Maria Callas, Maria, on the other hand, has generated Oscar hype. Although some critics have criticized the actress, she spent months rehearsing for the role, and others have applauded her performance.
“As both movies march toward being seen by the broader public,” an insider explains, “Angelina is going to have to thread the needle here a bit, especially because she has always seen directing as a way to stay in the business once she ages out these leading lady roles.”
Jolie’s commitment to directing has never wavered. “She wants to direct more movies, in no uncertain terms, and she has installed a whole team around her for those projects that will follow her into the gates of hell to get these films made.”
Without Blood’s potential commercial success is unknown, nevertheless. “But the trick is, they have to make money and nobody thinks Without Blood can make a profit.”
Jolie and Without Blood’s star Salma Hayek Pinault continue to work well together. As previously disclosed by a second insider, “Angelina and Salma have a deep, ongoing collaboration that hasn’t let up since they shot Eternals together almost six years ago.”