A Minute With: Angelina Jolie, femme fatale and busy Mom

PARIS, (Reuters Life!) – Oscar-winning actress  Angelina Jolie has teamed up for the first time with Hollywood  heartthrob Johnny Depp in “The Tourist.”

The romantic action film, which opens worldwide on Friday,  sees Depp’s math teacher character falling for Jolie’s femme  fatale as she spins a web of mystery amid a backdrop of Paris  and Venice.

Jolie, 35, spoke to Reuters about the film, her co-star  Depp, and coping with her six kids in busy airports.
Q: Your character tells Johnny Depp ‘Women don’t like  questions.’ Do you see this forceful woman in yourself?

A: “I got out of my pajamas to come to work today, so maybe  I seem more like her than I really am. You try to bring in to  each character something you can relate to, but she’s written  in as a traditional femme fatale, but in fact she has a big  heart.”

Q: Have you ever been in a movie where you have to carry  off as much elegance and wear so many beautiful dresses?

A: “No. It was fun for a while, but I was really happy when  it was over to get into my slacks, T-shirts and boots and not  be in hair and makeup.”

Q: It must be tough being a tourist for you. Where’s the  strangest place you’ve been recognized?

A: “It’s more the opposite. I had a lovely experience once  in Africa working with the U.N. when a president of a country  met me about refugee issues and said ‘What do you do?’ I said  ‘I’m an actor.’ He replied ‘I heard that was a very difficult  job and might not be the smartest job to do.’ It was lovely. He  was warning me about doing it.”

Q: Is the pre-celebrity lifestyle something you miss?

A: “I’m not somebody to complain about it. I feel lucky to  have all the opportunities given to me and I am very grateful,  but I do feel it for my children. In Paris you see the Champs  Elysees, there are these beautiful Christmas lights and I want  to get out of the car and walk around, see the carousel, but we  can’t really. We tried and we had about 20 people behind us and  it wouldn’t have been a good experience for the children.”

Q: Speaking of the children, have you ever had that moment  with your kids when they melt down in the supermarket?

A: “I had it at the airport a few times. Usually I believe  in letting them go through with it if they are going to scream  and cry and if it’s just a tantrum not to pay too much  attention. But it’s so very hard to do when there’s a bunch of  people around. I think Maddox figured it out that this is a  place where I have to appease the tantrum … We try to be  referees. (We’ve been given) referee cards, Brad (Pitt) has the  cards and me a whistle.”

Q: Do you think you’ll stop at six children?

A: “We’re open, but we’re having that real discussion about  how to make the balance as they get older and their needs  grow.”

Q: How do you do it with your schedules?

A: “We’ll work less and less in the years to come and as  they get close to their teens, Mommy will be home driving them  around trying to understand what’s happening.”

Q: Will that mean lighter roles like in “The Tourist”?

A: “No. This was a one off for me. I prefer drama. I ended  up in action and funnily enough the two action movies I did do  were after having a baby … I do prefer films like ‘A Mighty  Heart’ and ‘Changeling’.”

Q: You’re directing your first movie, is this a path you  want to go down?

A: “I had no intention of doing it. I don’t know, but I  loved it. It was a pleasure to be able to give somebody what I  would wish to have if I were to do an emotional scene for  example.”