Angelina Jolie reveals how she regained her 'fighting spirit' after Brad Pitt divorce

Shania RussellThu, June 18, 2026 at 9:41 PM UTC

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Brad Pitt in 2023; Angelina Jolie in 2021Credit: Marc Piasecki/WireImage; Samir Hussein/WireImageKey Points -

Angelina Jolie is offering a rare comment about the aftermath of her split from Brad Pitt.

The actress admits that, prior to the divorce, she had mostly "quit acting," but returned as a way to work without being far from her kids.

Jolie credits her kids with "encouraging" her toward a new chapter and helping her regain her "fighting spirit."

Angelina Jolie is thriving thanks to the love and support of her kids.

The Oscar-winning actress has stepped back into the spotlight in recent years, starring in Marvel's Eternals, leading a critically acclaimed biopic in Maria, and now she's due back on the big screen later this month with Couture. While celebrating the film's impending release, Jolie pointed out that a few years prior, she would not have envisioned this point in her career — because as far as she knew, her acting days were over.

"I had kind of quit acting before my divorce," Jolie recently told Variety, referencing her contentious split from ex Brad Pitt in 2016. "I was focusing on directing, and I thought I'd be doing my international work."

Jolie and Pitt in 2015Credit: Michael Kovac/Getty

But Jolie soon realized that her work outside of acting required her to spend even more time away from her kids Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 17.

"Suddenly the only way to be home more and for short periods of time being away or to make a good amount of money, was to go back to acting," she explained.

Even then, Jolie said she only signed on for projects that "were short or close by" or otherwise allowed her to bring the kids along.

Alluding to the emotional toll of the messy divorce — which took nearly a decade for the couple to finalize — Jolie noted that she has come a long way from that point.

"I think my fighting spirit is finally back," she shared. "I lost it for a bit. I got kind of taken down a little bit and it's coming back in large part thanks to my children, who are now older, and encouraging it."

Angelina Jolie and her kids attend the Los Angeles premiere of Marvel's 'Eternals' in 2021Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Jolie added, "My kids are almost all 18, so now they want to see me traveling the world, they want me to get out and do things. They know me more than anybody, and they still like me, which says a lot. I think they're very encouraging of me kind of getting back to aspects of myself that maybe I hadn't felt as free to do."

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Representatives for Brad Pitt did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for comment.

Jolie previously addressed her acting break, telling Vogue in 2023 that she consciously pulled back on Hollywood projects around 2017 because she "had a lot of healing to do."

She said at the time, "I don't feel like I've been myself for a decade, in a way. Which I don't want to get into."

Pitt and Jolie famously began dating after meeting on the set of their 2005 action-comedy film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The couple would go on to welcome six children together — Maddox, Pax, Shiloh, Zahara, and twins Knox and Vivienne — before tying the knot nearly a decade later in 2014.

Two years later, Jolie filed for divorce, citing an incident on a private plane during which she alleged that Pitt had physically abused her and their children. An FBI investigation into the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star's actions was dropped without charges being filed against Pitt. Child services also did not find abuse, per the .

Jolie in 'Couture'Credit: Vertical

Though the Oscar winners were declared legally single in 2019, it took an eight-year legal battle for them to reach a settlement dividing their extensive portfolio of assets and custody of their children.

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In the years since, several of the children have distanced themselves from their father, dropping the "Pitt" from their hyphenated last names. In May 2024, when Shiloh turned 18, she legally filed to change her name to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie, which was granted a few months later in a Los Angeles court. That same month, her sister Vivienne chose to be identified as Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill for Broadway's The Outsiders, which she produced alongside her mother.

Maddox legally dropped his father's last name in May and Zahara has similarly filed to drop Pitt from her name in documents submitted to Los Angeles Superior Court.

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