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Angelina Jolie Says Her Kids Won't Let Her Do This One Thing

They want to protect their mom—even if she is an action star.

Their parents may have fallen for each other on the set of an action movie, but Angelina Jolie's kids with Brad Pitt still worry about their mom getting hurt. And that includes when she's doing something much less intense than a movie stunt. In a new interview with British Vogue, Jolie opens up about her life at home with her six children—Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 12. She also reflects on getting older, which, to her, is a great thing, even though it's made her kids worry a little bit more about one activity in particular.

Read on to see what Jolie had to say about what her kids deemed too dangerous for her and how she feels about aging. And for more from the actor, check out Angelina Jolie's Rare Comment About Her Split From Brad Pitt.

This action star is embracing getting older.

Angelina Jolie on the March 2021 cover of British Vogue
Conde Nast

"I'm looking forward to my 50s," Jolie said in the interview with British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful. "I feel that I'm gonna hit my stride in my 50s."

That said, she reflected on a recent situation with her kids that humbled her about her age. "We were on the trampoline the other day, and the children said, 'No, mom, don't do that. You'll hurt yourself,'" the 45-year-old continued. "And I thought, 'God, isn't that funny?' There was a day I was an action star, and now the kids are telling me to get off the trampoline because I'll hurt myself."

And for another celebrity brood, check out Heidi Klum Just Posted a Rare Photo of All Four of Her Kids Together.

She understands where her kids are coming from.

'First They Killed my Father' - Premiere Featuring: Loung Ung, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, Pax Jolie-Pitt, Kimhak Mun, Knox Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Sareum Srey Moch
Euan Cherry/WENN.com / Alamy

Jolie said she knows her children mean well in their concern for her. "Even at their young age they know that what matters is to feel safe and loved and stable," she said. "To not see those you love harmed. To know your own mind and truth and not to live a lie."

To read about another famous family, check out How Mary-Kate & Ashley Stopped Elizabeth Olsen From Being a Child Star.

But she's still making action movies.

Angelina Jolie on the March 2021 cover of British Vogue
British Vogue

Jolie will star in the upcoming Marvel movie Eternals as the superhero Thena. "I signed up to support [director] Chloé [Zhao]'s vision and Marvel's commitment to expand the way we see 'superheroes,'" Jolie said of the film, which features a diverse ensemble cast. She added, "Running around in a gold bodysuit was not how I imagined my 40s. But it's good crazy, I think."

To learn more about the upcoming film, check out Kumail Nanjiani's Struggle Becoming the First Marvel South Asian Superhero.

She attributes her views on aging to her mother's premature death.

Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com

"I feel much more comfortable in my 40s than I did when I was younger. Maybe because… I don't know… maybe because my mom didn't live very long," Jolie said. "So there's something about age that feels like a victory instead of a sadness for me."

Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died in 2007 at the age of 56 after battling breast and ovarian cancer. In 2013, Jolie shared in a New York Times essay that she underwent a preventative double mastectomy after finding out that she carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene that increases her risk of having breast and ovarian cancer herself.

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Jolie loves the stage of life she's in, and the relationship she has with her kids.

Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Maddox Jolie-Pitt
dpa/Alamy Live News

All of Jolie's kids are teens or tweens, and she is really enjoying this stage for all of them and what it means for their relationship.

"I was best friends with my mom," she told British Vogue. "I loved having babies, but I love sitting up at night and talking to my kids. I like the teenage years. I like the older years. I love hanging out with them."

She added that they see her as more human now, too, not as someone who has all the answers. "They think that I'm a bit ridiculous, as they should," Jolie said. "And they all know me in different ways. You know, they've all crossed into that moment when they realize that there's nothing special about me. I'm just older. I don't have all the secrets. I just mean well."

To read about another special celebrity parent-daughter relationship, check out Model Paulina Porizkova and 74-Year-Old Mom Show Off Abs on Instagram.

Lia Beck
Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more. Read more
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