It took wearing a Christian Dior trench coat in the peak of European Summer to cement Angelina Jolie’s return to the press tour circuit after a brief hiatus. In her first role in three years, the legendary movie star has taken her place in the spotlight by playing the late opera diva Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s upcoming biopic.
Completing his trilogy of fragile and rich women on the brink—other instalments include 2016’s Jackie with Natalie Portman at Jackie Kennedy and 2021’s Spencer featuring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana—Maria opened at the 2024 International Film Festival to stellar reviews and an eight-minute standing ovation that left the actress in tears. It’s not Jolie’s swan song to the craft, but an encore to her vast body of work.
To celebrate the premiere at the glamorous Palazzo del Cinema, Jolie emulated the sophistication and the style of the late Greek-American soprano. It’s not quite method dressing, but a homage to the women whose shoes she’s just filled.
Jolie did so in a custom Tamara Ralph creation featuring an Athenian-style draped column dress made from a dusty-coloured chiffon. A faux fur stole wrapped around her shoulders and featured a gilded rose brooch, perhaps signalling a flower toss to the singer. She completed the look with platform Aquazzura heels and a striking red lip.
Earlier in the day, Jolie spoke at a press conference about the significance of her performance. There she also subtly acknowledged her on-screen counterpart by pairing the 1971 Cartier Panthère brooch Callas actually owned with her black velvet Atelier Jolie dress.
The actress spent six months refining her physicality and vocally training to sing in the film, a process she described as the “therapy I didn’t realise I needed”. “I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out,” she continued before adding, “and so the challenge wasn’t the technical, it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express.”
“You have to give every single part of yourself,” she noted. Jolie also shared the story of her first time singing as Callas. “I remember being so nervous,” she revealed. “My sons were there and they helped to block the door [so] that nobody else was coming in, and I was shaky.”
Though it appears any residual nerves certainly quelled by the time cameras were rolling as reviews for the film already signal critical acclaim. With the project two years in the making, it’s apparent Jolie is savouring every moment of bringing Callas’ story to the big screen; in a flowy Saint Laurent tunic-style summer dress, reclaiming the word ‘diva’ and taking a well-deserved curtain call.
This article originally appeared on GRAZIA International.
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