Angelina Jolie was moved to tears after receiving an eight-minute standing ovation at the premiere of her biopic Maria at Venice Film Festival in Italy on Thursday.
The Changeling star, 49, looked visibly emotional and was seen wiping away tears after the audience at Sala Grande stood up to applaud her.
In another touching display the actress — who plays the legendary opera singer Maria Callas in the film — momentarily covered her mouth with her hand.
She was pictured being escorted down the stairs by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, 48, as the crowd continued to clap for her.
Jolie spoke about the project during a press conference held Thursday afternoon before the screening, and revealed that she spent approximately seven months preparing for the demanding role.
Angelina Jolie, 49, was moved to tears after receiving an eight-minute standing ovation at the premiere of her biopic Maria at Venice Film Festival in Italy on Thursday; seen on the red carpet
She worked with opera singers and coaches to master the correct posture, breathing, and movement techniques.
She added that immersing herself in the world of opera provided ‘therapy I didn’t know I needed.’
‘I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out. So the challenge wasn’t the technical, it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express. You have to give every single part of yourself.’
She also shared that the part of Callas she most related to was ‘the part of her that’s extremely soft and doesn’t have room in the world to be as soft as she truly was — as emotionally open as she truly was. I share her vulnerability more than anything.’
Before entering Sala Grande she also shared a tender moment while meeting a bed-ridden fan with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The actress knelt down and spoke with her supporter, sweetly placing her hand on his shoulder.
The star, currently in the throes of a protracted divorce from Brad Pitt, made a welcome red carpet appearance ahead of the film’s first official screening, in competition, at the annual ceremony.
Jolie looked stunning in an elegant floor-length evening gown with off-the-shoulder detailing as she greeted photographers on day two of this year’s festival.
The Changeling star looked visibly emotional and was seen wiping away tears after the audience at Sala Grande stood up to applaud her
She was pictured being escorted down the stairs by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, 48, as the crowd continued to clap for her; seen with Pablo on the red carpet
Jolie spoke about the project during a press conference held Thursday afternoon, and revealed that she spent approximately seven months preparing for the demanding role
The stunning stone chiffon gown, designed exclusively for the actress by designer and couture house Tamara Ralph, featured draped detailing and a short train, with the number finished off with an elegant, fluffy faux-fur stole and a gold floral pin.
The star’s latest film is a biographical drama about the opera singer Maria. It stars Angelina in the title role, with Valeria Golino as her sister Yakinthi, and Haluk Bilginer as Aristotle Onassis.
‘I take very seriously the responsibility to Maria’s life and legacy,’ Angelina said previously in a statement. ‘I will give all I can to meet the challenge.’
The Tomb Raider star also mentioned the film’s director, Pablo, whom she said she ‘long admired.’
The mother of six added: ‘To be allowed the chance to tell more of Maria’s story with him, and with a script by Steven Knight, is a dream.’
Angelina had never sung onscreen – or in public – before she signed on to star as the legendary opera singer.
‘Everybody here knows, I was terribly nervous,’ the Oscar winner told reporters at a press conference.
‘I spent almost seven months training because when you work with Pablo you can’t do anything by half. He demands, in the most wonderful way, that you really do the work and you really learn and train.’
The film is a biographical drama about the legendary opera singer Maria Callas; Angelina seen in a still
She worked with opera singers and coaches to master the correct posture, breathing, and movement techniques; Maria seen in 1959
Angelina enlisted vocal coach Eric Vetro – whose clients include Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, John Legend, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Rosalía, and Charlie Puth.
‘My first time singing I remember being so nervous. My sons were there and they helped lock the door so that nobody else was coming in, and I was shaky. I was frightened,’ described Jolie – who’s mother to Maddox, 23; Pax, 20; and Knox, 16.
‘Pablo, in his decency, started me in a small room and ended me in [the Paris opera house] La Scala. So he gave me time to grow.’
The former Hollywood wild child – who grew up listening to The Clash – said her biggest ‘fear’ would be to ‘disappoint’ the ardent fanbase of Maria: ‘I really came to care for her, so I didn’t want to do a disservice to this woman.’
And while the film is mostly set in the seventies, Angelina appears to recreate Callas’ (born Kalogeropoulos) 1958 performance at a Paris gala, which was broadcast through Eurovision.
The New York-born Greek belter’s powerful soprano pipes had three distinct registers and measured just short of three octaves, and she performed her final concert in 1965 following a vocal decline blamed on everything from dermatomyositis, to early onset menopause, to her extreme 80lb weight loss in 1954.
Maria – who had an affair with Aristotle Onassis while he was married to former FLOTUS Jacqueline Kennedy – spent her last 11 years living in Paris after renouncing her American citizenship, and she died at age 53, from a heart attack in 1977.
Angelina is lucky enough to wear some of Callas’ real clothes in the film, including vintage fur items from Massimo Cantini Parrini’s archive collection.
The film will cover her life story and finish with her sad death in Paris after suffering from vision problems that left her almost blind.
The film will cover her life story and finish with her sad death in Paris after suffering from vision problems that left her almost blind; (L) Angelina seen in a still, (R) Callas pictured in 1971
The director, who is best known for the bio pictures Jackie (about Jackie Kennedy, played by Natalie Portman) and Spencer (about Princess Diana, played by Kristen Stewart), said: ‘Having the chance to combine my two most deep and personal passions, cinema and opera, has been a long-awaited dream.’
‘To do this with Angelina, a supremely brave and curious artist, is a fascinating opportunity. A true gift.’
Maria was written by Steven Knight prior to Hollywood’s WGA strike and granted a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement.
The actress has played famous people before: In 1998 she starred as tragic supermodel Gia Carangi in Gia and in 2007 she starred as Mariana Pearl in the film A Mighty Heart.
