Getty Angelina Jolie and her daughter, Vivienne.
Angelina Jolie has opened up about her daughter with ex-husband Brad Pitt, Vivienne, and she says a story of “real pain” and feelings resonated with the teen.
Jolie shared the details about Vivienne in an interview with Deadline on June 10 to promote the musical, “The Outsiders,” which she produced.
In the interview, Jolie gave a rare glimpse into details about Vivienne, saying, “She’s a complex young woman.”
The interview comes as Jolie and her daughter appeared together at the Tony awards to represent “The Outsiders” play, wearing matching green outfits, People Magazine reported. Vivienne is listed in the playbill as Vivienne Jolie, a producer assistant.
GettyAngelina Jolie and her daughter Vivienne.
Jolie added that her 15-year-old daughter inspired her to become interested in “The Outsiders,” and also helped with the project. “Viv and I sat together and we wrote down what we liked, what we were curious about. And they responded to our notes. For me, it was a moment to learn more about Viv, not me thinking of becoming a producer,” she told Deadline.
Angelina Jolie Explained That the Topic Resonated With Her Daughter Vivienne Because the Play Deals With ‘Real Pain’
GettyAngelina Jolie and her daughter.
Asked why “The Outsiders” resonated so much with her Vivienne, Jolie told Deadline, “I think it’s just that it’s very deep, and it’s honest, and it doesn’t shy away from real feelings and real discussion and real pain, I think maybe every person that watches it might identify slightly more with one character or another, right, but what I think you see through it all is there is pain in life, right? There is fear.”
She added: “There is, Who am I and where do I belong? There is, Why are these people marginalized and harmed more than others? Why do these people kill themselves? What is it we’re facing in life? I think a lot of young people, especially today, these are very difficult times, and they want to have that real discussion, and they want to know what helps you get through life.”
In the interview, Jolie credited Vivienne, who now goes by the name Vivienne Jolie instead of Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, with focusing her attention on the story.
“My daughter Viv loves theater. She appreciates all theater but she certainly knows what she feels close to and what she responds to,” Jolie told Deadline. “She went to see The Outsiders at La Jolla about five times and was telling me about it, and I had read the book, and I’d seen the film years ago.”
She added, “So, really, as a mother, as a person, I was watching it, but I was really watching the effect it was having on my young daughter and what she was telling me about herself, and I was learning what about it was important to her and why it connected so deeply to her.”
The Comments Come After 3 of Brad Pitt’s Kids Have Dropped His Last Name, Reports Say
GettyUS actor Brad Pitt arrives for the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 9, 2020.
According to People, although Vivienne’s playbill listing doesn’t mention the name Pitt, it’s not clear whether she has legally changed her last name.
In 2023, Essence reported that another of the children Jolie shared with Pitt, Zahara, is also going only by Jolie. Furthermore, the couple’s child, Shiloh, has legally filed to change her last name to Jolie, US Weekly reported.
“Brad was devastated by this choice,” a source told Us Weekly of Shiloh’s decision, which came in the wake of the former couple’s years-long custody battle. “To him, it was more than a change of name — it was a symbol of a deeper estrangement that has been brewing for years.”
“Sadly, Brad doesn’t have much of a relationship with his kids,” another source told US. “He’s not ready to give up on them, but knowing they are dropping his name is upsetting.”