Why Angelina Jolie Found It ‘Healing’ To Work On Her New Thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead

Finn Little and Angelina Jolie in Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Angelina Jolie star in a thriller, but that’s all about to change. Her steadily approaching Those Who Wish Me Dead is an intense and emotional survival film that has Jolie playing a strong and determined woman. Her character goes through the wringer in the film but, apparently, Jolie found that to be therapeutic, and she's recently spoken out about why working on her upcoming film was so healing for her.

Angelina Jolie recently spoke about how she loves playing characters who have been broken and are able to piece themselves back together again. For her, there is something that translates from the character to real life. Here's what the Eternals actress told ET:

I am drawn to people who have been through something and are broken and then find their way forward and overcome it. As an artist, it's very healing to play people like that. She's been very healing for me, because you just get so broken and then you stand back up.

Listen, Angelina Jolie is one badass lady, as she's played strong leading women in some heavy action films (hello, Tomb Raider?!) time and time again. This may be why she has been picking up different types of roles lately, but it seems the more human and emotional aspects of Those Who Wish Me Dead appealed to the part of her that needed healing.

The actress has been making headlines off and on for years, particularly when it comes to her marriage to equally iconic actor Brad Pitt along with their children, but it's been extra heavy lately, especially since the two are still going through legal drama. While she has continued to work during the turbulence of her personal life and her ongoing divorce, it makes sense that she would want to enter into a project that would bring her some peace.

Those Who Wish Me Dead centers on Angelina Jolie, who plays a fire jumper with PTSD. While she's working in Montana, she finds a boy who has just witnessed a his father's murder at the hands of assassins and takes it upon herself to protect the child from the killers. She faces both emotional and literal fires along the way and must fight them to save both herself and the child.

We won’t have to wait very long to see just what Angelina Jolie is talking about, because Those Who Wish Me Dead hits theaters this Friday, May 14. And you’ll also be able to stream the film via HBO Max on the same day. Based on what we've seen and heard about the film thus far, those of us with some inner wounds better bring some tissues, as there's sure to be plenty of healing as we watch.

Carlie Hoke
Content Writer

Constantly thinking about books, coffee, and the existential dread I feel from Bo Burnham’s Inside.  While writing I’m also raising a chaotic toddler, who may or may not have picked up personality traits from watching one too many episodes of Trailer Park Boys.