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Angelina Jolie has offered a rare glimpse into her approach to raising her six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt, saying she is proud that each of them has developed into their own person.
In a recent interview with L'Officiel, the Oscar-winning actress spoke about supporting Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne as they pursue different interests and career paths.
"They're definitely individuals," Jolie said, explaining that one of the most important parts of being a parent is knowing when to step back.
"As a parent, you try to do many things, but you also try to not get in the way," she said. Jolie added that her children have lives and potential separate from her own, making it important to support rather than direct their choices.
Some of her children have already begun exploring careers of their own. Maddox and Pax have worked in the film industry, with Maddox serving as an assistant director on the 2025 film Couture and Pax working as a cinematographer on Maria: Making of. Jolie said both have also pursued interests outside filmmaking, with Maddox focusing on becoming a pilot and Pax developing his photography.
"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," she said.
Jolie also reflected on Zahara's experience at Spelman College, where she graduated in May and became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. The actress said she had expected the historically Black college to be a special environment for her daughter but was surprised by how welcomed and educated she felt there herself.
"There's no place that would've been better for her," Jolie said, describing the experience as something that transformed Zahara and became meaningful to their family.
As her children have grown older, Jolie said she is also looking forward to having more freedom to pursue her own interests. She hopes to spend more time traveling, doing fieldwork and working with her foundation, including projects in Cambodia.
"I am just Mom, wanting to be around her family," she said.
Jolie added that her children now encourage her to get back out into the world, joking that they would rather receive calls from her after she has landed somewhere like Tunisia to meet with local artists.
"They had Mom when Mom needed to be Mom," she said. "Now, they'd like me to call them from Tunisia."
