Angelina Jolie transforms into opera star Maria Callas in trailer for new biopic
The renowned soprano died in Paris in 1977 of a heart attack at the age of 53.
Angelina Jolie can be seen embodying Maria Callas in a new trailer for an upcoming biopic about the opera star.
Maria reimagines the singer’s final days in 1970s Paris, exploring the tragic events surrounding one of the world’s most well-known sopranos.
In the trailer, Callas reflects on her career, with clips showing her on stage.
In a voiceover, asked to speak about her life away from the stage, she says: “There is no life away from the stage.”
“My life is opera. There is no reason in opera,” she says in another scene.
The renowned soprano died in Paris in 1977 of a heart attack at the age of 53.
In August, Oscar-winner Jolie could be seen wiping away tears during the rapturous response to Pablo Larrain’s biographical drama at the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival.
During a press conference at the festival, Jolie said she had “relearned” the word diva through Callas, who was known as “La Divina”.
She said: “I think it’s often come with a lot of negative connotations.
“I think I’ve relearned that word through Maria and I have a new relationship to it.
“And I think it is often other people’s perception of a woman that defines sometimes too much who she is, and who she was, or what she intended.”
The 49-year-old took Italian classes and studied opera for the role.
Her costumes in the film are based on original garments worn by Callas and the production consulted animal rights groups including Peta regarding the use of fur, making the decision not to buy new-use animal-based pieces.
The film’s script, written by Peaky Blinders script writer Steven Knight, was completed prior to the Writers Guild of America strike.
The Lara Croft: Tomb Raider star, who won a supporting actress Oscar for her role in Girl, Interrupted (1999), has six children with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, from whom she filed for divorce in September 2016.
