Angelina Jolie Considers Cambodia Her Home, But She Almost Turned Down the Blockbuster That Brought Her There

Mar. 15, 2025

Angelina Jolie attends the 40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Feb. 5, 2025.Photo:JB Lacroix/FilmMagic

JB Lacroix/FilmMagic

Angelina Jolieis opening up about the life-changing movie that led her to call Cambodia home — and how she almost turned it down.

TheMariastar, 49, was asked where she considers home to be during a conversation about her life and career at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Wednesday, Feb. 5, where she received the Maltin Modern Master Award.

“In my heart, Cambodia,” Jolie answered. “My first trip wasTomb Raider, where you saw me hanging upside down [in the clip].”

Angelina Jolie in ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ in 2001.Everett

“I learned something about life. I think about my life and the amount of things I almost didn’t do, almost missed, that would’ve changed the course of my life. I said no toTomb Raiderwhen I was first called.”

When asked why she ultimately agreed to play Lara Croft in the film, Jolie said that the adventures she was promised to go on swayed her decision.

“They said, ‘You can travel the world and train with the British military.’ And I said, ‘I will wear the shorts for the first five minutes and then I’ll never wear them again.’ And that’s true. And that’s the movie. That’s actually what happened.”

Angelina Jolie and son Maddox in September 2017.James Devaney/Getty

James Devaney/Getty

Jolie credits Maddox, now 23, forencouraging her to make the Netflix filmFirst They Killed My Father, which takes place in her son’s home country.

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Angelina Jolie with her kids in 2021.Samir Hussein/WireImage

Samir Hussein/WireImage

Joliepreviously told PEOPLEthat her son “goes back and forth [to Cambodia] a lot, but this would be over four months of just being in the country, really reading, listening, learning and absorbing all things about his culture and country [including] the very, very dark parts.”

Along with Maddox, Jolie sharesPax, 21,Zahara, 20,Shiloh, 18, and twinsKnox LéonandVivienne Marcheline, 16, with ex-husbandBrad Pitt, 61.

Jolie’s latest film, the Maria Callas biopicMaria, is now streaming on Netflix. It earned a Best Cinematography nomination for the 97th Academy Awards.

source: people.com