Angelina Jolie Pitt opens up about getting older and life inside the world’s most famous marriage

IN AN incredibly frank and open interview, Angelina Jolie Pitt talks about getting older, life without her mum and marriage to Brad.

81st Annual Academy Awards - Arrivals

WHILE most actresses dread hitting the big 4-0, Angelina Jolie Pitt is loving it, for a good reason.

“I turned 40 this year and I am so happy,” she tells news.com.au. “Most women in my family start to get sick and start dying in their 40s and I am going to be very happy to become 50 and 60. I love getting older.”

You realise how much this milestone means to Jolie Pitt when she talks about her mother, who died of inherited breast cancer at the age of 56. “When somebody says to me, ‘I just got off the phone with my mum,’ I have a tinge of jealousy because I can’t do that,” she says. “I can’t call home.”

In 2013 Jolie Pitt underwent a preventive double mastectomy after realising she too had inherited the BRCA1 gene. She then had further surgeries to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Her reconstructed breasts are revealed in her new movie By The Sea.

“I think there’s a beauty to being vulnerable. We’re all going to get sick and we’re all going to die. We all have things that upset us and embarrass us and scare us and it’s important to embrace it,” she says.

In the film she stars alongside her husband of 10 years, Brad Pitt. After a decade of marriage they’re clearly still going strong.

“I’m not saying that I’m the only woman Brad would ever look at, but I have a trust in him that he understands the value of family,” she says.

“I love him so much. He’s the father of my children, he’s one of my great friends in life and when I look at him, I see my husband but I also see my children.”

By The Sea Starring: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Arestrup, and Richard Bohringer Picture: Facebook

In the film they play a married couple in crisis grappling with issues like jealousy, insecurity, and fidelity.

Jolie Pitt wrote and directed the film, and therefore it’s assumed some of the material must be autobiographical. Jolie Pitt says that’s not the case.

“To be clear, we have fights and problems like any other couple. We have days where we just drive each other absolutely mad and want space. But the problems they have in the movie aren’t our specific problems.”

Apparently there is just one detail that rings true. “It drives him nuts that I’m the kind of person that throws my sunglasses around and I don’t take care of my things. He finds that irritating,” she laughs. And what gets on her goat? She pauses. “Oh, big things and little things; there are lots of things.”

When the issues arise, whatever their magnitude, is Jolie Pitt prone to much shouting? “When I’m mad I get quiet. And when I am really mad I think I get self-contained. I think it’s almost when I stop talking I get dangerously angry. And if there is something to debate still, then there is hope,” she smiles.

“But once you are sure that there is something wrong or you’re against something, then there is very little to discuss. For me, I do like to solve things quickly. I don’t sit on anything which probably drives him a little mad because I do need to discuss it — and I need to discuss it right now. But I think being artists, we both do talk a lot which is very helpful in a relationship.”

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at the 81st Annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on February 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The film was shot in Malta immediately after the couple married in August last year. Therefore, they spent what would have been their honeymoon not only working together as actors but with her as his boss as the film’s director.

“Our first few days were quite tricky. He knows me so well and knows every little gesture when I get impatient or when I’m not really happy, so we made this private pact that we were going to try to be as open and honest and emotive as possible. I told him to trust me and that I would do my best to protect him in the editing room.” She smiles. “He worked very hard.”

Speaking of marriage, did becoming Mrs Jolie Pitt change their relationship? “It didn’t change anything for us but it feels very nice. I don’t think people need to get married and I think it’s nice to do it when you don’t need it to complete you.”

Angelina Jolie and brood From the tiny sparkly PrettyBallerinas worn by Kate Moss’s flower girls, to the Marilyn Black Patent Flats that have become a staple in Angelina Jolie’s wardrobe, PrettyBallerinas are renowned for their celebrity following of stars such as Katherine Heigl and Elle Macpherson, vast collection, artwork-like designs and unbelievable comfort.

Living a full, but somewhat chaotic life, what is she like at home with her children whose ages range from seven to 14?

“I think with my children I am like every parent, I am completely who I am and the best of myself with my children. And as much as I am playful, I am also very honest with them about life, because I don’t want them to be disillusioned and walk into a life being unaware of what is to come. I think it’s important to speak to them with honesty.”

Even though she’s one of the world’s most glamorous women, being married to one of the world’s most desirable men can’t always be an easy thing. “When somebody says he’s attractive, I’m happy for him.” She laughs. “I think that’s great.”