Angelina Jolie: “I Don’t Recognise My Country” Over Free Speech Concerns
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has raised alarm over the state of free expression in the United States, saying she no longer recognises her country. Her remarks came while she was promoting her new film Couture during the San Sebastián Film Festival.
Speaking Out at San Sebastián
Jolie, 50, made the comment in response to a question about whether she feared for freedom of speech in the U.S.:
“I love my country, but I don’t at this time recognise my country.”
She added that any action, anywhere, that limits personal freedoms or expression is dangerous.
Context & Film
Her concern follows a recent spike in discussions around media control, including the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live after critical comments about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Couture, directed by French filmmaker Alice Winocour, is in competition for the festival’s top honour, the Golden Shell. Jolie stars as Maxine Walker, an American film director who is grappling with divorce, serious illness, and personal relationships during Paris Fashion Week.
Personal Reflections
The actress drew parallels between her own life and that of her character. Jolie has been vocal about her health journey: she underwent a preventive double mastectomy in 2013, and later had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed owing to a high genetic risk of cancer, conditions which claimed the lives of her mother and grandmother.
She said she often thinks of her mother while performing, wishing that her mother could have spoken out more openly, and felt less isolated.
Jolie also remarked on the special challenges posed by women’s cancers, not just physically, but emotionally and socially.