With her children grown and a new creative vision taking shape, Angelina Jolie is embracing a life guided by art, purpose, and the freedom to explore what comes next.&nbsp;

PHOTOGRAPHY Norman Jean Roy&nbsp;
STYLED BY Carolina Orrico&nbsp;

Angelina Jolie sits peacefully in a room in Los Angeles, the city where she was born and, at present, cannot wait to leave. She’s surrounded by moving boxes, flanked to her right by her beloved rottweiler, Dusty, who is lying by the window, backlit by the glowing sun of a late July morning.
“It’s the end of a certain time for me,” the movie star and humanitarian says over Zoom. Now that all six of her kids are adults (her youngest children, fraternal twins Knox and Vivienne, turned 18 in July), Jolie is free to live wherever she likes. For the Oscar winner—who is as famous for toplining films ranging from Girl, Interrupted to Disney’s Maleficent as she is for her humanitarian work, visiting conflict zones and drawing attention to refugee crises as well as leading initiatives through her Cambodia-based nonprofit, the Maddox Foundation—the whole world is once again her veritable oyster.
The first order of business is expanding and opening new global locations of Atelier Jolie, the creative house she opened in 2023, in Jean-Michel Basquiat’s SoHo home and studio in downtown New York. On a rainy afternoon in July, the day before Jolie’s interview, the atelier feels cozy and welcoming. Anyone can stroll into Atelier Jolie, which opens into a small art gallery with works by Bing Lee and Janette Beckman on display (as well as beautifully preserved wall art by Basquiat), then linger in the café, where refugee chefs dreamt up a menu that includes Syrian ma’amoul cookies and pistachio baklava, lounging on sumptuous leather furniture and thumbing through an array of art books under a generous skylight.

When it opened, the Atelier was heralded as a serious entrée to the fashion world, debuting with a ready-to-wear collection designed by Gabriela Hearst and slinking its way into the niche carved out by brands like The Row. It has since evolved from retail and transformed into a thoughtful sanctuary for artisans and makers across mediums. Fashion, Jolie admits, “was never my central interest.”
“There was a big discussion about sustainability,” says Jolie, whose personal style has evolved over the years from punky goth to glamorous leather goth to quiet luxury with goth-lite traces, like the fine black sweater she wears during our interview. “It became obvious to me that I didn’t want to be pushing people merely to consume. My main focus is welcoming visitors who want to learn, create, and be in community. Anyone who contributes by attending and visiting gives back to the artists who come in. Our doors are open to all, and I love when new visitors continue to discover and join us.”
The Atelier has since grown into a hub for artist residencies, public talks, classes, and offerings such as a Pan-African dining concept called Tatale, created by chef Akwasi Brenya-Mensa. On the night I attend, the multi-course menu includes delicious reimaginings of chichinga beef suya and chin chin cheesecake. New locations of Atelier Jolie will open before the end of the year, shifting to meet the needs of each local community.
Jolie is also excited to see this month’s release of Without Blood, the fifth feature in her directorial oeuvre. Starring Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir, the film is based on the Alessandro Baricco book of the same name and follows a pair of survivors reflecting on opposite sides of a conflict through a series of restrained monologues. “The first day after I went home, I had a breakdown because I had held those emotions for so long,” Hayek Pinault told L’OFFICIEL in 2025. But she trusted Jolie, whom she befriended on the set of Marvel’s Eternals in 2021, describing her as a “genius” director who also wrote beautiful material. “This was the easiest time that I’ve ever had, just automatically memorizing lines without effort.”
Without Blood offers a different vantage point on war compared to Jolie’s last few films, such as In the Land of Blood and Honey and Unbroken, which take the audience into the thick of violence. This film is a post-conflict narrative, looking at the reality—and possibility—of what happens when some of the dust settles. “It doesn’t wrap up with some Hollywood ending,” she says. “But I think it’s comfortable for people who like to sit with things that feel true.”

L’OFFICIEL: Let’s talk about Atelier Jolie. What do you think worked in these first few years? And what ended up having to evolve?
ANGELINA JOLIE: I didn’t know exactly what it was when I opened the doors. My thought was to open a space and gift areas to different thinkers and creatives. I watched Prune Nourry [a French multidisciplinary artist] move in and make the top floor a studio for herself and do monthly talks. I witnessed the refugee chefs at Eat Offbeat [New York’s immigrant training-focused food venture] find different ways to bring their culture to people daily. Things that have to do with community—like the talks, the dinners, and the gallery space—seemed to naturally push forward more than the fashion. Offering the space on a rotating basis to makers from around the world was more exciting than having a daily traditional shop. One of our first artists in residence was textile artist and designer Zolaykha Sherzad, who founded Zarif Design, a fashion and fine crafts company based in Kabul that reflects the rich Afghan cultural heritage of traditional silk weaving, chapan-striped cotton, and embroidery. All products are made in Afghanistan, giving the women involved an opportunity to have a business and show their craft. We have a designer from Rwanda coming in September. I am looking forward to seeing how they make the space their own.
LO: When I first visited, fashion was the focal point; there were clothes on display. But the evolution makes sense.
AJ: I find it much more interesting to encourage people to learn a new skill, buy pieces of art, meet international makers, or upcycle their own clothing. You can bring your clothes into the Atelier and redo them, take a sewing class, things like that. I learned myself how I would better approach art and clothes—I took screen printing and did a little felting. I haven’t had the opportunity to live in New York for a long period since the Atelier opened. As soon as I can be there more, I’ll be a regular at the classes.
LO: So, are you planning to be in New York more in the next chapter of your life?
AJ: Out of the States more, I think. The hope for the Atelier was always to be global; Brazil might become the first space that we open outside of the U.S. The idea would be to visit the different locations around the world and meet local artists and makers. I’m going to get back to doing more hands-on work with my foundation in Cambodia and my field work. I don’t really plan to have a base. I’d like to have a home base for my family, a place where some of the mom stuff and the family photos are. And then I’d like to be a bit nomadic for a while. My home in Cambodia will also be a residency a few months out of the year for Khmer culture.

"I'd like to be a bit nomadic for a while."

LO: What kind of timeline do you envision for the new Atelier Jolie locations?
AJ: A few will open quite soon. We’re talking to teams in Vienna and Cambodia. There is not a country I wouldn’t consider working in. The idea is that wherever it is in the world, it’s always run locally and it’s theirs to benefit from, because we’re a nonprofit. When I worked as a diplomat, I would see that there was so much focus on charity and aid and there wasn’t enough focus on supporting business and independence, so I wanted to build a model that would grow other people’s careers and community.
LO: You already have the dinner series. Are there any other projects or events you’re hoping to launch at the future Ateliers?
AJ: I’ll be most excited when I see these regular residencies from around the world. A misconception about the Atelier is that it’s this private space. There are things within it that are private, but the absolute majority is completely open to the public. All the classes, the dinner series, some of the talks, the gallery. I’m looking forward to seeing more people using it. And because it’s a collective, it really is as much as people make it. I think today, the average person can tell when something is created by a brand. It takes a little longer and it’s harder, but when you build something organically with real friends and real artists and invite people to participate as a community, it’s more authentic and a little bold. It’s unknown and is a chance to help others do business and share their craft. That’s what’s exciting.
LO: That makes me think about artists creating something versus the growing anxiety that everything will eventually be AI-generated. I’m curious whether you want to wade into that conversation at all—why it’s still so important to encourage and value human creativity.
AJ: The reality of the future is there will be all these new technologies [as a result of AI]. Hopefully they’ll help with cancer research and global education at a more affordable price. There will be positives. On the other side of it, the things it can never replace are human touch, human connection, building something yourself. We have to understand the realities of what is happening with a lot of the new technologies, see how it affects our lives, and be even more so together and hands-on in the world. It’s what it is to be alive.

LO: For over twenty years you’ve also run the Maddox Foundation in rural Cambodia, which is fully locally led, with a focus on conservation and community development. What is it about that work that continues to excite you?
AJ: It’s evolved over the years. When I first moved to Cambodia, I thought I would buy a place and hire local people to work with me to demine and work on local education and development. We did that. But it became clear there were a lot of issues with deforestation, gem mining, and illegal wildlife trade. It expanded to conservation work. We’ve been doing that for a long time. Now I think focusing on development and independence is the next stage, to see different business and education opportunities for people in the community. Just to continue to help develop and grow.
LO: I wanted to ask about your refugee visits, too. I know you do those independently now, working with organizations on the ground, as opposed to when you were special envoy for the UN. How has that transition been?
AJ: Honestly, it hasn’t changed much. I always paid my own way—even during my UN years, my travel was never the agency’s responsibility. Same with lodging, security, anything like that. I never wanted an agency carrying that weight for me. And the relationships are still there, with people at the UN, the Red Cross, INARA [International Network for Aid, Relief &amp; Assistance], and so many local organizations doing this work on the ground. Even when I was with UNHCR [UN Refugee Agency], what I really cared for most was understanding the local reality. UNHCR is kind of an umbrella, it’s a protection agency, so its job is securing the legal permissions that let you actually be present in a country. That means navigating legal frameworks, protections, endless negotiations with governments. Important work, but a different kind of work. While I have real concerns about certain aspects of the UN’s work, I remain deeply convinced of its vital role in protecting human dignity, in delivering emergency aid to those who have nowhere else to turn, and in defending human rights when no one else will. Finally, in bringing nations together in the pursuit of peace. A peace that, so often and so tragically, still eludes us. If only we lived by the principles of the UN Charter and if only those words were matched by action, I believe the world would be a far better place.

LO: How do you select your upcoming trips? I saw that you went to Rwanda recently.
AJ: It depends on where you feel like you can be useful. Shiloh and Pax were with me in Rwanda. We met up with the Legacy of War Foundation and the women in the farms, which I’d heard about for so long. It’s so great to see things that are working. It sounds silly to say, but I think people are very overwhelmed by the amount of crises in the world. It feels insurmountable. When we can highlight programs or local leaders and see change and a path for progress, it’s very important. We are looking at a few countries based on needs: One is a current crisis that needs some attention, and the other is a somewhat-forgotten emergency that’s critical to keep on the radar. The reason I say I have the honor of working with refugees is because they’re truly some of the most wonderful people. My closest friends. So resilient, so extraordinary. I’ve learned most of my life lessons, if not from my children, from them.
LO: I would love to talk about Without Blood, the film you wrote and directed about the repercussions of war. It’s really beautiful. What was your writing process for adapting the book?
AJ: I stayed very true to a beautifully written book. I felt like I was editing and shaping more than completely writing. My first film, In the Land of Blood and Honey, I wrote from a blank page. My process has been a little strange, because I started writing when I had all my children and I tend to write about conflict. I would find myself in the middle of a children’s art class or karate class sitting in the corner, making little sketches and writing thoughts in a notebook. There wasn’t a space to completely turn everything off and write. I’d find a few hours here and there. I appreciate you saying you liked it; I know it’s not an easy film to watch. That was a choice to stay true to the book. Post-conflict is really hard. The film is less about forgiveness and more about honesty. To discuss forgiveness when there is a denial of harm isn’t healing. What I loved about Without Blood is that he agrees to sit and hear how his actions changed the course of her life. I have had this kind of healing with my father. Even though we see many things differently, we have been able to have honest discussions and find peace. I hope that for other aspects of my life.

LO: You do tend to make films about conflict. I’m sure you’ve heard before that every director is, to a certain degree, making the same film over and over.
AJ: That’s interesting. One of the things that the film says is that we return to where we break. I think that’s true for a lot of people. They may not even recognize why they behave a certain way or what they’re searching for, but something somewhere transformed the person. A lot of your life is either trying to put that piece back or understand it. For me, I started traveling into war zones when I was 23. I probably didn’t realize how much of an impact that had on me. I cried a lot the first year. I was shocked by what I didn’t know. I changed as a person. Working since 2001 on the border of Afghanistan and then seeing the return of the Taliban, seeing things slide back, and the reality of so many friends... I had a school there. Maybe that’s why I want to focus so much on solutions, because I think we are all quite overwhelmed by not seeing progress and seeing things grow worse. When I started, there were 40 million people displaced; it’s 115 million now. That has had an effect on me. My first film was about a war beginning. Without Blood is an examination of when the war is over. When it’s over, how does it sit with us? It doesn’t end when the bombs stop.
LO: I’m curious to see the next phase in the life cycle of your films.
AJ: Me too. [Laughs] I don’t know what happens. I hope it’s post-conflict.
LO: On the topic of film, your sons Maddox and Pax are working as assistant directors. How did they end up there?
AJ: I think if you have any interest in working on film, you need to be a part of the crew and do the hard work and know all the different departments. They’ve worked on a few films that way, and they’re both doing other things, too: Maddox is focusing on being a pilot, and Pax has his photography, but I think he does have an interest in film. Obviously it’s nice for me to be around them, but I am just Mom, wanting to be around her family.

"One of the things the film says is that we return to where we break...A lot of your life is either trying to put that piece back or understand it."

LO: You’ve said that while making Maria [the 2024 film that follows the life story of opera singer Maria Callas], you had this realization that you never really cried in front of your children. Were there any similar revelations about motherhood on the set of 'Without Blood '?
AJ: To be clear, I don’t think any mother has never cried in front of their kid. If they give me a birthday card, I cry. [Laughs] I’m kind of famous for quickly crying. But that wailing emotional pain is certainly what I would hide from my children until Maria. It’s upsetting to see somebody you care about in that much pain. I don’t think I exposed [them to anything new] on this film. They know me pretty well. For better or worse, they know all sides of me. We had a wonderful shoot. We were in Italy. We were in the same place, but everybody had their own separate [living space] so we weren’t living in a family house together. We were living in a dorm-type situation and everybody was exploring Europe, so that was nice.
LO: Speaking of your children, I know you often visited your daughter, Zahara, at Spelman before her college graduation in May. I would love to hear your perspective on seeing the HBCU experience.
AJ: I just felt so deeply honored to be a part of it. I came in knowing that she belonged and it was a special place for her. I didn’t assume I would be as welcomed and educated and supported as I was. There’s no place that would’ve been better for her—it really transformed her and it’s really a part of our family now. They actually pulled me aside when she became an AKA [member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the historically Black sorority]. I didn’t know what that really meant, but they talked to me about how it was for life. It’s an extraordinary place. Our family felt so proud of her, so honored to be a part of it and to feel like we were welcomed into something that is very special, unique and important.

LO: From the outside looking in, it seems you’ve raised true individuals.
AJ: They’re definitely individuals. That makes me very proud, because one of the most important things, I think, is to basically not get in their way. As a parent, you try to do many things, but you also try to not get in the way of this human being who has a life separate from yours and so much potential in their own mind. You want to make sure that you support them.
LO: Is there anything you’re excited to do for yourself now that they’re all adults?
AJ: I really love and am looking forward to more connection and community. I’m not somebody who vacations or shops or things like that. I envision more field work, more travel, and just being out in the world. Get my motorcycle back, get back in a plane. I don’t know. That’s definitely what my kids want! They had Mom when Mom needed to be Mom. Now, they’d like me to call them from Tunisia having just landed a plane to meet with local artists. I agree that would be very nice.

HAIR: Renato Campora KALPANA using JOICO MAKEUP: Raoul Alejandre MMXX ARTISTS MANICURE: Alex Jachno using DIOR SET DESIGN: Brittany Porter ARTISTRY PRODUCED BY: The Morrison Group PHOTO ASSISTANTS: Paul Gilmore and Eugenio Ruiz SET DESIGN ASSISTANTS: Sunny Mills and Ethan Kankula PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: Aaron Johnson and Avedis Oksozian STYLING ASSISTANTS: Melissa Gordillo and Natalia Zamudio ON-SET ASSISTANTS: Caroline Hui, Charlotte Hui, and Chloé Hui

Angelina Jolie: A Life Without Borders

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