Quotes From the Awards Presentation:

Looking back on her career, Angelina shared, “I think back on my life and all the things I almost didn’t do, I almost missed. I said no to Tomb Raider the first time. And then 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 of the movie and that’s it. And that’s what happened.”

Angelina also talked about what brought her to acting, explaining that “I didn’t start acting because I wanted to be an actor, I started because I wanted to help my mom, so I needed to work. It was like ‘we got a job, I can get a part or be in debt.’ So it was just about work and security, and creativity.”

Talking about her initial feelings around fame, Angelina noted “Having success and being recognized and being put on one side of a line to another person really made me very uncomfortable - I went very dark in that time.”

Angelina also went into her connection to her characters, saying “I probably related to characters more than I’m conscious of. I think I’m close to almost everyone I’ve played. I almost think of it as removing a part of yourself.

Angelina also spoke to the experience of being directed by Robert De Niro on The Good Shepard, sharing that “He was really lovely, really tough. I remember I was pregnant, I became pregnant, he didn’t know. Because we had reshoots, and my prosthetics were falling off. And I got a bit sick in a scene where everybody was smoking, and then I had to say to my very tough, cool director who was just focused on what he wants, I said ‘I’m so sorry, but I’m pregnant.’ And then I saw a very different Robert De Niro. Who went from being this very tough strong director to being a man who’s saying ‘get her a banana. Help her.’ And he was the sweetest.

Angelina also called De Niro “A little intimidating, but for all the right reasons when you’re actor. And it’s fun to explore character with him, and to ask him questions, and to see what he’s thinking.”

Speaking to another of her collaborations, Angelina shared an interesting detail, saying “Clint Eastwood, who really only does one take most of the time. It’s true. It’s a rumor about him, but it’s true.”

Angelina also explained about Clint Eastwood that “He writes the music. He wrote the theme in Changeling early. And his musical compositions are so beautiful and so soulful.”

For Maleficent, Angelina talked a bit about the prosthetics work, stating “We wanted to try to find something that was not so distracting that she could really have emotional scenes, but also still have that look of that creature.”

Talking more generally about the process of finding the character of Maleficent, Angelina explained “It was a beautiful script and it was a fun process. But we were trying to figure out - so she has horns like a goat, but then she has wings like a bird. Does she have hair, or does she have feathers? Does she have feet, or does she have hooves? We had tried goat contacts, I actually loved those, but nobody would buy it.”

Angelina also offered some insights into her directing work, sharing “It’s the best. I love directing. I prefer directing. It’s like, if you have the right family, you trust your heads of department, you love your actors, you love your work, and you’re all there together. Your job is to make the space and bring the best in everybody and come with a strong plan and take responsibility. But I really love it, because I love seeing the best in other people.”

For her most recent role in Pablo Larraín’s Maria, Angelina explained that “He called me and asked me about Maria. He didn’t have a script, he just told me about his childhood, and his relationship to Maria Callas, and music and opera, and who she was.”

Addressing her singing in Maria, Angelina noted “You can’t fake sing opera. Because you can see, it’s like fake screaming. Your body does something very specific. Your mouth, your throat... It’s not something you can kind of do.

Ava DuVerney was in attendance to present Angelina with the award, praising her work and sharing that “AJ’s career is a testament to the power of cinema that centers risk, reinvention, and reflection.”

About The Event:

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is honored to announce that cinema icon Angelina Jolie will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award at the 40th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Jolie will receive the prestigious award on February 5, 2025. Angelina Jolie's career as an actress has been marked by versatility and critical acclaim, with significant impact globally. Angelina Jolie's latest film, “Maria” marks a significant turn in her career, as she portrays the iconic opera singer Maria Callas. Critics have praised Jolie for her transformative performance, particularly her ability to embody Callas’ intensity and grace. Her performance evokes the emotional depth and fragility behind the operatic legend’s public persona.

“Angelina Jolie makes bold choices, both as an actress and as a director. She sets the bar high in both disciplines and always comes through. I look forward to reviewing her career with her in Santa Barbara!” remarked Leonard Maltin.

Angelina Jolie is an Academy Award-winning actress, director, and producer, with film credits including Walt Disney Pictures’ Maleficent series, Salt, and Girl, Interrupted. Jolie directed, produced and co-wrote the critically acclaimed feature First They Killed My Father and the upcoming Without Blood; additionally, she directed the Oscar®-nominated drama Unbroken. She is a Tony Award-winning producer on the acclaimed new Broadway musical The Outsiders.

With over 20 years working as a humanitarian focusing on work with refugees and human rights, Jolie also champions local leadership in environmental conservation and has funded schools, health and education initiatives globally. Additionally, she is founder of the Maddox Foundation, an integrated development program headquartered in Cambodia, with a focus on conservation, agriculture, education and economic development projects in the area.

She is the founder of Atelier Jolie, a hub for artists, empowering people to participate in creating their own fashion, with a focus on sustainability. Jolie is also co-author of Know Your Rights and Claim Them, a guide for youth.

The Modern Master Award was established in 1995. Created to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through accomplishments in the motion picture industry, it was re-named the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 in honor of long-time SBIFF moderator and renowned film critic Leonard Maltin. Past recipients include Academy Award-winning actors Jamie Lee Curtis, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Robert Downey Jr., Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, and Christopher Plummer, and acclaimed filmmakers including Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, and Peter Jackson.