'The most beautiful face on the planet': Clint Eastwood felt Angelina Jolie's good looks hurt her career
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: With over 40 movie appearances under her belt and two Academy Award nominations, Angelina Jolie has long been a Hollywood A-lister. But a renowned director, who had previously collaborated with Jolie, once admitted her appearance was restricting her talents. Clint Eastwood and Jolie worked together on the 2008 film 'Changeling' and while the director was all praise for the actress, he did acknowledge that he believed her attractiveness "hampered" her career.
Recently, Warner Bros has acquired the 'Maude v Maude' package, with Oscar winners Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry after a competitive bidding war involving many studios. In a fierce multi-studio bidding war, Warner Bros won the rights to 'Maude v Maude' with an astonishing eight-figure bid, as per Deadline. Although Berry and Jolie each have three-decade-long careers, they have never collaborated on a project. The global action-thriller 'Maude v Maude' is the first time the two will work together.
'An actress hampered by her gorgeous face'
While the 'Tomb Raider' actress is a skilled performer, the movie veteran claimed that at times people overlook her talents in favor of her sex appeal. Jolie starred in the true story-based film 'Changeling' in 2008, which was directed by Eastwood. Jolie went on to win Best Actress nominations at the Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and others. Although Jolie went on to win praise for her performance in 'Changeling', Eastwood claimed that Jolie's talent was underappreciated before the film's release.
Speaking to Us Weekly, Eastwood described Jolie as "an actress hampered by her gorgeous face, I think the most beautiful face on the planet," per The Sydney Morning Herald. "People sometimes can't see past that, to her talent. She's on all these magazine covers, so it's easy to overlook what an amazing actress is underneath." At the time, Eastwood also said, "She's very prepared. She comes in with a lot of preparation. She's ready to go right away."
In addition, he compared Jolie's work ethic to that of Meryl Streep. He was quite complimentary of both actresses, praising their professionalism and the range of approaches and abilities they offered to their performances. "Actors know, with me they aren't going to be allowed to rehearse a scene for a couple of hours and then get away with doing 25 takes before we get it right. So they come with their full bag of tricks," the movie veteran said. "Angelina is a lot like Meryl Streep in that respect."
Jolie was at the time generating much more news coverage than normal because she had been dating Brad Pitt for three years and they had just welcomed twins Knox and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt three months before the movie's theatrical debut. Jolie's acting skills were frequently disregarded as the media concentrated on her physical allure. Clint Eastwood's remarks highlight a recurring issue in the entertainment business: the preference for attractiveness over competence.
'Clint is what every great director should be'
The 'Salt' star also returned her admiration for Eastwood as well. Jolie and Eastwood praised one another on the press tours for 'Changeling'. Jolie lauded Eastwood during the Hollywood Film Festival Gala, calling him "even better" in person and how she enjoyed working with him.
Jolie said of Eastwood at the time, "There are some people in this business that are icons, and we often wonder if, when we meet them, they'll live up to what we imagine them to be. And Clint Eastwood in person is even better … Clint is what every great director should be. He is a great leader. And I certainly would follow him anywhere," as per Just Jared.
Jolie is currently preparing herself for the upcoming global action-thriller in collaboration with Halle Berry. Jolie, who has starred in action movies like 'Salt', 'Mr & Mrs Smith', 'Lara Croft: Tom Raider', and others. Berry, who has appeared in blockbuster action movies like 'John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum', 'X-Men', and 'Die Another Day' will work together for the first time on 'Maude v Maude'. The interactions between the two seasoned actors in the genre will be fascinating to watch.