Spoiler Alert !!!
Spoilers ahead for Changeling.
While her life off-screen has always been fodder for news stories, Angelina Jolie has always been a talented actress who could take on intense roles and deliver strong performances. The actress won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Girl, Interrupted, and was nominated multiple times for the Golden Globes.
One role that gave her both a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination was Clint Eastwood’s period drama, Changeling. However, Jolie was reportedly not too keen on playing the role as it dealt with a mother losing her child. Even after being convinced by Eastwood, she allegedly had a tough time coming home to her kids after the role.
Angelina Jolie Was Terrified Of Playing Christine Collins In Clint Eastwood’s Changeling
Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie on the sets of Changeling | Credits: Universal Pictures
Clint Eastwood’s Changeling explores the real-life story of Christine Collins, a mother whose search for her disappeared son gets national attention due to the ineptitude of the police department. After searching for her son Walter, the police department reportedly found a boy in Illinois who claimed to be Walter, but it turned out to be a hoax after their reunion.
However, Christine was reportedly tried to be convinced by the police Captain to give ‘the boy a try’ and then even had her checked into a psychiatric ward. However, the boy’s confession and Walter’s connection to the Wineville Chicken Coop murders got her out. Collins searched for her son until her dying day (via Crime Museum).
Angelina Jolie in Changeling | Credits: Universal Pictures
Angeline Jolie was reportedly not too keen on playing the role initially as she was afraid of how it might impact her own mental health as a mother of several children. She reportedly mentioned during the press tour for the film that she was reluctant to sign on,
[The idea of] anything happening to your kids… [That was] the reason I didn’t want to do the film for a long time. I read [the script] and wanted to keep it as far away from me as possible. But it’s also a great story of justice, and I love the film. But, no, every day on set, I came home, and I was so clingy to my kids. I think I bugged them.
The actress also mentioned that she used to check in on her kids even in the middle of the night sometimes and the role created a huge fear in her.
Angelina Jolie Likened Christine Collins To Her Mother
A still from Changeling | Credits: Universal Pictures
Angelina Jolie has spoken about her relationship with her mother on multiple occasions. She has opened up about multiple moments she shared with her mother as her parents separated. She even mentioned that her mother let her stay with her first boyfriend when she was fourteen and said that the relationship felt like a marriage (via Calgary Sun).
Talking about her role as Christine Collins in the Clint Eastwood film Changeling, the actress likened the character’s grit and relentlessness to her own mother. She said,
This is personal, but it’s true, I lost my mother a few months before the film, and to me [Christine is] very much like my mother. My mother was very passive, in many ways, and very, very sweet, but when it came to her children she was a lion. But, as a woman, very shy almost with her own voice.
Jolie went on to get an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for her role in the film.
Changeling is currently available to stream on Starz.
