Angelina Jolie reveals she was 'terribly nervous' learning to sing live opera for new “Maria” movie
"I didn’t want to do a disservice to this woman," Jolie said at the Venice Film Festival of portraying Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín's new movie.
There's a crescendo of Oscar buzz building for Angelina Jolie's turn as famed opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín's new Maria movie — and it might hit a fever pitch now that the actress has revealed the intensity level of her training for the anticipated project.
Speaking to reporters Thursday at a Venice Film Festival press conference ahead of Maria's world premiere, the 49-year-old Academy Award-winning actress revealed that she endured multiple months of training in order to sing opera live during the production.
“Everybody here knows, I was terribly nervous,” Jolie said at the event, per Variety, which also indicated that Jolie said she "had not sung in public before" joining the movie. "I spent almost seven months training because when you work with Pablo you can’t do anything by half. He demands, in the most wonderful way, that you really do the work and you really learn and train.”
Pablo Larrain/Netflix
Angelina Jolie in 'Maria'Jolie said that her "sons were there" and "helped lock the door so that nobody else was coming in" to view her training sessions, which she was admittedly "shaky" for, the outlet reported.
The actress eventually had to sing in front of a packed theater for scenes recreating Callas' performances at Paris’ La Scala theater, and she luckily had "time to grow" throughout the course.
"My fear would be to disappoint them," she said of Callas' fans, whom have carried the legacy of the singer since she died in 1977 at age 53. "I really came to care for her, so I didn’t want to do a disservice to this woman."
Pablo Larrain/Netflix
Angelina Jolie sings opera in 'Maria'Prior to Maria's debut in Venice, Netflix acquired the movie for distribution in the United States, leading many to speculate that the streaming giant would mount an awards season run this year, as the Academy largely recognizes major stars who transform into real-life entertainment figures (see: Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line, Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody, Renée Zellweger in Judy, etc.)
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Larraín also has a stellar track record with awards bodies, including directing Best Actress nominees Natalie Portman (Jackie) and Kristen Stewart (Spencer) to nominations for portraying real-life figures Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana, respectively.
Netflix has yet to confirm a release date for Maria, which world-premieres Thursday in Venice.
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