How Angelina Jolie Prepared to Play Maria Callas

How Angelina Jolie Prepared to Play Maria Callas

Welcome to MsMojo and today we’re breaking down the intense emotional and artistic processes that Angelina Jolie engaged in to play legendary opera singer Maria Callas in director Pablo Larraín’s 2024 biopic “Maria.”

Maria Callas’ Early Life & Career

Any so-called “diva” who came after her owes an enormous debt to her. The woman whom Leonard Bernstein would later refer to as “the Bible of opera” came from rough beginnings, born in New York City to Greek immigrants who grew to despise each other. Callas showed musical inclinations from an early age, but hardly willingly; reflecting on her upbringing, Callas recalled that “I was made to sing when I was only five, and I hated it.” Returning to Greece with her mother after her parents’ marriage dissolved, she worked her way through the Greek operatic scene, eventually traveling to Italy for further opportunities. Callas established herself as a global icon of opera in 1949 after unexpectedly being cast in “I puritani” by renowned conductor (and her future mentor) Tullio Serafin.

The Weight Loss That Changed Everything

In the early 1950s, Callas grew self-conscious of her weight, as well as the fact that it might have played a role in the parts she could be cast in. In a 1968 interview with musicologist Edward Downes, Callas herself stated that “I was getting so heavy that even my vocalizing was getting heavy. [...] And I wasn't really well, as in health; I couldn't move freely.” Keeping this in mind, Callas resolved to lose weight by firmly adhering to a low-calorie diet. The singer was successful in achieving her goal, losing nearly 80 pounds by 1954. Although wild, baseless rumors persisted as to how Callas lost the weight, it’s inarguable that it had an effect on her voice, career, and public image, for better or worse.

Callas’ Late Career & Final Years

Critics, fellow opera singers, and fans alike are unanimous in their assessment that, over time but particularly in the mid-1950s, Maria Callas’ voice underwent a significant turn for the worse toward the end of her career. Some believe it to be the result of her aforementioned weight loss, which is speculated to have dramatically reduced her strength and breath support. In addition, a series of scandals that rocked Callas’ career: these included an unflattering “Time” cover story about her contentious maternal relationship, walk-offs in the middle of performances, and media characterizations of her as a “diva.” In her final years, Callas pursued an on-again, off-again affair with Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis and performed infrequently until her death in September 1977, aged 53.

Pablo Larraín’s “Iconic 20th Century Women” Trilogy

Chilean filmmaking auteur Larraín is known for making movies that are primarily about two subjects: Chilean history, and famously misunderstood women. These include “Jackie,” starring Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy (later Onassis), and “Spencer,” with Kristen Stewart as Diana, Princess of Wales. Both performers were Oscar-nominated for their roles. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter ahead of “Maria’s” premiere, Larraín mused that he “never planned to make three movies,” and that his trilogy is anything but that: in his own words, he describes the films as “an accidental three movies that have some form of connection.” Larraín closed by commenting that his protagonists are significant for having “basically shaped a big chunk of what we understand of the second-half of the last century.”

Cut To: Angelina Jolie

At this point, you may be wondering to yourself: “Wait a minute, when was the last time I saw Angelina Jolie in a movie?” You’d have to go back three years before “Maria’s” premiere to 2021, which saw Jolie star in two films: the Marvel Cinematic Universe picture “Eternals” and the action thriller “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” written and directed by “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan. Asked in 2024 about why she had decided to take time off of filmmaking, Jolie responded that she had shifted her focus to not only her well-documented humanitarian work, but also to focus on raising her children, especially in the wake of her widely publicized divorce from fellow actor and Oscar winner Brad Pitt.

Jolie Learns to Sing — In Public, For the First Time Ever

For fans and admirers of Maria Callas, casting Jolie, who herself has admitted that she doesn’t consider herself a singer, may have seemed somewhat unusual. What could Jolie bring to the role without being a trained musician? Jolie had gone to theater school in the early years of her career, but after being disparaged by a romantic partner about her singing ability, had led herself to believe that she was simply incapable of performing. Of course, this obviously wasn’t the case. A consummate professional, Jolie spent six months taking opera classes, then Italian, and even admitted to becoming emotional and crying in her first class due to nerves. Sensitive to this, Larraín started Jolie’s live singing off small, “in a theater or church in Greece,” according to Jolie herself. As the shoot progressed, Jolie’s performances grew in scale, ending up at the historic La Scala opera house in Milan — where Callas herself had performed numerous times.

How Jolie Was Convinced to Play Maria Callas

In a wide-ranging and revealing profile for the Hollywood Reporter, Jolie struggled to articulate just how personal and deeply felt the role of Maria Callas was to her, having never discussed it before; speaking to Rebecca Keegan, Jolie shared that “I’m sure there’s a lot that will be read into it of our overlaps as women, but the one that’s maybe not the most obvious is I’m not sure how comfortable we both are with being public. And there was a pressure behind the working that wasn’t just the joy of the work.” Expanding on that, Jolie shared that she connected with Callas’ constant fight to live up to the public’s expectations of her, as well as those in her inner circle, and how that fighting ripped some of the “joy” away from her creative process. Keegan, noting further parallels between Jolie and Callas, that the Oscar winner has never been one to shy away from going all-in. Lamenting her inability to take life a moment at a time, Jolie shared that “I’m propelled forward constantly, and it’s not always the best feeling. For better or for worse, I’m a very deeply feeling person and kind of a raw nerve. So when I feel something deeply, I jump.”

Why Angelina Jolie Was the Only Choice For the Role of Maria Callas

Larraín is quoted as saying that “Angelina has an enormous amount of mystery. I thought she could play this woman who is looking to find her own identity.” Maria Callas’ personal friend, music critic John Ardoin, shared a similar sentiment about the mercurial opera singer, who once reportedly said to him that “‘it's a very terrible thing to be Maria Callas, because it's a question of trying to understand something you can never really understand.’” Keeping this in mind, it’s no wonder why Larraín made Jolie his leading lady for “Maria.” Both protected themselves by choosing to be shrouded in mystery and relative untouchability. With “Maria” primed for significant Oscar buzz, Jolie is gearing up for a major career resurgence — much like the one denied to Maria Callas.

Are you looking forward to Pablo Larraín’s “Maria”? Let us know in the comments!