In fact, Jolie noted Pax often recorded her opera singing practice—adding “he was with me in my early horrible days.”
"It's always good for your children to watch your mum not do something easily, but swear and fight and fail and have to try again," she continued. “So that's an important and beautiful thing."
And Jolie felt pressure in taking on the role.
"I had so much respect for this woman," she exclusively told Zuri Hall on Live From E!: Golden Globes. "It’s the first time I’ve played a real artist. So I just didn’t want to fail—I didn’t want to fail her and her music and the people that love her music."
Jolie already has two Golden Globes, one for her 1999 film Girl, Interrupted and one for her 1998 movie Gia. And she noted a lot has changed since she last took home a trophy.
"It’s 25 years. I mean, a lifetime of difference," the 49-year-old added. "So just happy to be here. Now, I’m here with my daughter. So, I’m here as a mom—that’s different."
Jolie’s red carpet appearance comes days after she settled her divorce with Pitt. Over the past eight years, the public watched the Oscar winners' legal battle play out—including over custody of their six children and over their French winery Château Miraval.
"More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt," Jolie's attorney James Simon told NBC News in a Dec. 31 statement. "She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family. This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
Pitt has yet to publicly comment on the settlement.
Maria also marks Jolie’s first film to premiere in nearly three years (her last one was 2021’s Eternals), and she’s spoken about taking a break from Hollywood before.
"I went very dark for reasons I’d rather not explain, but I didn’t have a lot of light and life within me," she explained to Vanity Fair last month. "Your light’s dim. I also just needed to be home more, so I couldn’t commit large periods of time to pieces. The choice of what to work on and when was not a creative choice, often, the last few years, but sometimes the practical choice. Really, I think Maria was the beginning of starting to come alive again. I needed a lot of kind people around me to hold my hand."
To see more stars at the 2025 Golden Globes hosted by Nikki Glaser, keep reading.
Zendaya
in custom Louis Vuitton and Bulgari jewelry.
Emma Stone
in Louis Vuitton.
Timothée Chalamet
in Tom Ford.
Demi Moore
in custom Armani Privé.
Ariana Grande
in a 1966 couture gown by Givenchy.
Cynthia Erivo
in custom Louis Vuitton.
Eiza Gonzalez
glittering in gold.
Sarah Paulson
in Ellie Saab.
Michelle Yeoh
in Balenciaga.
Felicity Jones
in a silver sequined Prada dress.
Jodie Foster
in Dior.
Nicole Kidman
in custom Balenciaga Couture.
Andrew Garfield
in a Gucci suit.
Mikey Madison
in custom Bottega Veneta.
Ayo Edebiri
in a Loewe suit.
Salma Hayek Pinault
in a maroon Gucci dress.
Sofia Vergara
in a Georges Chakra mermaid gown.
Adrien Brody
in a classic black suit and tie.
Anya Taylor-Joy
in a pink slip dress from Dior.
Kristen Bell
in a champagne Ashi Studio dress.
Gal Gadot
in custom Giorgio Armani Privé.
Cara Delevingne
in a glittering blue dress.
Pamela Anderson
in Oscar de la Renta.
Melissa McCarthy
in Christian Siriano.
Dwayne Johnson
in a purple shirt and coat combo.
Miley Cyrus
in Celine.
Angelina Jolie
in Alexander McQueen.
Viola Davis
in Gucci.
Kaley Cuoco
In a white dress and mini capelet.
Colman Domingo
in Valentino and Boucheron jewelry.
