Angelina Jolie discusses family cancer history and her new film “Couture”

Angelina Jolie said she wants people “not to be afraid to talk about cancer,” noting that her upcoming film Couture will help her open a dialogue with her three daughters about the disease. In the movie, Jolie plays Maxine, a director who receives a breast‑cancer diagnosis while navigating a high‑profile fashion show in Paris.

Jolie, a carrier of the BRCA1 gene, underwent a preventive double mastectomy in 2013 after learning the mutation greatly increased her risk of breast and ovarian cancer. She recalled that her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer in 2007 and that her grandmother also died of cancer. She explained in an interview, “I educate my children almost as if I’m preparing them for my absence, not for them to become grandparents.”

Reflecting on mortality, Jolie said the conversation about cancer has led her to “live life fully” and to “talk with my girls about genetics, inherited risk, how medicine is changing, and how we live our lives.” She also spoke about resuming her acting career after her 2016 separation from Brad Pitt, noting that her nearly‑adult children now encourage her to travel and work again. The film Couture began limited releases on 26 September.