Is Angelina Jolie Entering Politics?
“Honestly, if you’d asked me 20 years ago I would have laughed, I really don’t know.”
Angelina Jolie appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Friday and when asked if she would consider a career in politics, she responded that she wouldn’t rule it out.
“Honestly, if you’d asked me 20 years ago I would have laughed, I really don’t know,” she told Today presenter Justin Webb. “I always say I’ll go where I’m needed. I don’t know if I’m fit for politics, but then I’ve also joked that I don’t have a skeleton left in my closet. So, I’m pretty open and out there. I can take a lot on the chin, so that’s good.”
The Oscar-winning actress has been famously involved with the United Nations since 2001 and currently serves as a special envoy to the UN Refugee Agency.
She has used her platform to focus on issues such as refugees and sexual violence. Most recently, she visited West Mosul in June, less than a year since the city was liberated from the Islamic State group, to witness the devastation left behind.
“I honestly will do whatever I think can really make change and right now I am able to work with a UN agency to do a lot of work directly with people in need. I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done without a title and without it being about myself and my policies. So, for now I’ll sit quiet,” she added.
She certainly has proven her passion and dedication for humanitarian causes through her own film work.
In 2017’s First They Killed My Father, Jolie directed a movie about Loung Ung, a Cambodian author and human rights activist who grew up under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. She also produced the animated film The Breadwinner, about a teen struggling to support her family while living under Taliban rule.
According to Deadline, she will also executive produce a current affairs show for kids aged seven to twelve, through the BBC, called Our World. It will work to promote global media literacy, engaging children from around the world to discuss news in a fair, impartial way.
With this new revelation on Today, is Jolie part of a growing trend of celebrities and Hollywood stars interested in trying their hand at politics—including the presidency?
Earlier this year, the public pounced on the idea of former talk show host Oprah Winfrey running for president in 2020. Speculation soared in news outlets and social media, with Winfrey mostly dispelling it but leaving some hints at a possibility.
After Trump seized the office in 2016, it may seem as though anything is possible for the presidency, including unorthodox candidates.
When Webb suggested Jolie should run against President Trump in 2020 she replied, “Thank you.”