“I Love This Stage”: Angelina Jolie Opened Up About Finding Even More Joy In Motherhood Now That Her Kids Are Older

It sounds like Angelina Jolie’s children are getting involved in her work life in more ways than one.

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As I’m sure you know, Angelina is the mother of six children — Maddox, 23; Pax, 20; Zahara, 19; Shiloh, 18; Knox, 16; and Vivienne, 16 — whom she shares with her ex, Brad Pitt.

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Since they were very little, the kids have been involved in their parents’ work, from making cameos in their movies to appearing at red-carpet premieres.

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Now that the children are getting older, we’re beginning to learn more about their individual passions — and it’ll come as no surprise to hear that a few of the kids are already showing a keen interest in the arts.

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And so, as her children begin to carve out names for themselves, Angelina has weighed in on what it’s like to see them become “working adults.”

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“I love it,” she told Entertainment Tonight at the AFI Fest premiere of her new movie, Maria, in which she stars as the opera icon Maria Callas. “I love it when it’s with me or not with me, you know, they do their own thing, too, and I love them as people.”

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Notably, Angelina also said that she’s found more joy in motherhood now that her children are older, saying: “I think some people are even more comfortable maybe with the baby stage — I love this stage.”

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She continued: “I love living this life with them and watching them just do and be all the things that they are — uniquely different people.”

In case you’ve not seen, Angelina is already receiving Oscar buzz for her performance in Maria, which follows the singer’s life as one of the most influential opera icons of the 20th century.

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Aside from the tough process of learning to sing like Maria, the story also calls for Angelina to challenge herself emotionally in some heavy scenes. Although, it sounds like her difficult days on set were helped by her sons, who were on hand to support her.

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“My boys were there,” she told Extra TV elsewhere on the red carpet, presumably referring to Maddox and Pax, who were assistant directors on Maria. “I was very lucky that sometimes when I’d have my big, emotional scenes, they’d come and bring me a tea and give me a hug.”

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“The blessing of being an artist is you get to express a lot of things that we all carry inside of ourselves — we all carry pain,” she went on. “And I have the gift that I’m able to be supported to let it all out and have a safe place to do so… So usually I went home [feeling] pretty light, and then got back into it the next day.”

When her children were younger, Angelina — who grew up with actor parents — expressed a slight reluctance to have them pursue careers in Hollywood, saying in 2014 that she would “really prefer they do something else.”

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“Brad and I made the decision that we wouldn’t keep them from sets and the fun of making movies, but we wouldn’t [glorify it either] — we wouldn’t make it a good thing or a bad thing,” she told Elle magazine.

However, as the kids have grown up, Angelina is embracing their natural passions for the arts, telling the Hollywood Reporter in August that her family has entered a new era when it comes to work.

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“They’re a bit older, getting more independent,” she said. “And they’re old enough to join me at work. It’s a new season in our lives. I’m very excited for them to be coming into their own more and more every day.”

So, what do you think about Brad and Angelina’s kids potentially pursuing careers in Hollywood? They certainly wouldn’t be the first famous kids to make it big in the movies, that’s for sure. Let us know in the comments!