Angelina Jolie’s Most Vulnerable Role Ever: What Happens When She Runs Lines with Son Maddox Is Unbelievable
When life throws a knockout punch like cancer, what’s your move? Angelina Jolie steps into the ring with raw vulnerability in Alice Winocour’s latest film, Couture — a story not just told, but lived. Picture this: a filmmaker grappling with a devastating diagnosis amid the chaos of Paris Fashion Week. Jolie channels decades of personal battle scars, including the loss of her mother and a double mastectomy she chose to undergo, bringing a fierce authenticity to her role as Maxine. Now, Couture isn’t your typical sob story about illness; it digs deep into the unspoken impacts on desire and female power under pressure. This film doesn’t just show cancer — it wrestles it, with grit and grace, spotlighting the fierce spirit that keeps us fighting. Ready to dive beyond the surface? LEARN MORE
5 min readAngelina Jolie channeled her real-life pain into the role of Maxine in Alice Winocour’s latest film, Couture. In it, the director, known for writing heart-wrenching women-led stories like Mustang and Paris Memories, tells the story of a filmmaker who receives a cancer diagnosis while filming a runway show for Paris Fashion Week. “I lost my mother [to breast cancer] and never met my maternal grandmother, as she died young, so I chose to have a double mastectomy about a decade ago,” she tells Bazaar ahead of the movie’s release. “After reading the script, I knew I wanted to be involved. Nobody could have written the film the way Alice did, had they not experienced cancer. She included very subtle but very real things.”
Couture chronicles the fallout of Maxine’s diagnosis, exploring the trauma associated with illness while also tenderly examining an often overlooked part of the diagnosis’s effects on desire and sexuality. A notable emphasis on female agency, particularly while under immense pressure (intensified by the frenzy of Paris Fashion Week), runs throughout the film, as shown not only in Maxine’s experience with cancer but also in the cast of supporting characters, which includes Ella Rumpf as an aspiring writer trying to escape fashion and Anyier Anei, a model wrestling with the toils of fame. One of Bazaar’s must-see movies of Summer 2026, Couture presents a striking, vulnerable turn for the actress, who gives Maxine a unique, visceral depth.
Harper’s Bazaar’s questionnaire series “First, Now, Next” dives into the past, present, and future of some of our favorite creatives, spotlighting the moments and people that have influenced them. We touched base with Jolie ahead of Couture’s theatrical release to learn more about her personal experience with breast cancer, how this is reflected in her new character, and learning to keep “living and moving until your last breath.”
What’s the first film that cracked something open in you? Why?
Filming Tomb Raider introduced me to Cambodia, one of my favorite places, which in turn changed my world in a myriad of ways.
Who was your first true friend in the industry?
I’m not sure about my first friend in the industry, but Jonny Lee Miller and I became close [while] filming Hackers, married, and remain wonderful friends. We just worked together again after 30 years.
What was the first movie that made you take yourself seriously?
I’m not sure I take myself particularly seriously, but the experience of directing, producing, and writing In the Land of Blood and Honey changed me forever as a person and as an artist. I prefer to be behind the scenes and work with other actors and crews.
How did you define success at 16? How would you define it now?
Success at 16 was about being able to help my mother with paying bills. Success for me now is about connecting with other creatives and audiences.
What are you saying no to now? What are you saying yes to?
I was saying no to anything that was too long a shoot for the last 10 years to be home more.
In terms of saying yes, with my children all over 18 as of next month, I plan to spend a lot more time doing international field work, with their encouragement. I hope to do more films. I feel very fortunate to have the ability to live as an artist. I know what a privilege it is.
Angelina Jolie as Maxine and Louis Garrel as Anton
What do you think Couture says about pursuing dreams? It focuses on three women at vastly different junctures in their careers. How did you see Anyier Anei’s and Ella Rumpf’s characters contrasting with Maxine’s story?
Anyier and Ella are remarkable actors. I found some aspects of their storylines deeply touching, particularly the tension between the image we project and the richness of our inner lives. Fashion often glosses over the vulnerability involved in exposing one’s body and rarely takes an interest in figures like Ada, a South Sudanese model played by Anyier in her debut film role, who is herself a model from Sudan. Her character is trying to find her place in the closed and sometimes confusing world of fashion. For the character Ada, earning money and learning how to manage it to support her family is a huge challenge.
How did you and Alice shape Maxine’s character? Alongside the French lessons, how did you prepare for the character?
I thought about my mother a lot and how I wish she had a community and had been able to speak as openly as I have and been met with kindness. I felt deeply connected to her making this. She would have loved to see me perform in French. She always wanted me to. Maddox helped me run my lines as his French is much better than mine.
If you could wear only one outfit for the rest of your life and had to pull it out of your closet right now, what would you reach for?
Something simple and comfortable, like slacks. I’ve never been to a fashion show, so it was a bit funny to play a woman directing behind the scenes of a fashion show. I had to learn more about fashion for this role and have a deeper appreciation for the many hours of work that go into crafting the couture pieces.
I haven’t felt like dressing up for some time now. I think it would be nice to branch out and play a bit more.
Director Alice Winocour and Angelina Jolie at a screening for Couture at the Whitby Hotel
How has this project changed you?
I came out of this film a bit more gentle with myself and others.
What was the last thing you splurged on?
I’m on my way to Rwanda to see the gorillas with a few of my children. Travel and adventure is what I spend on.
This is among your most vulnerable performances to date. Do you have any previous films you credit with preparing you for this role?
Filming was emotional but also quite joyful and healing. I would say that life prepared me more for this role than any films I’ve done or viewed.
If you could collaborate with anyone next, who would it be and why?
There are too many incredible artists to name just one. I would love to do more with Broadway. I’ve loved being on the Outsiders team and look forward to producing more in that space.
What lesson from Couture do you think you’ll bring into your next project?
Working on this film was a wonderful reminder that we don’t have to do so much alone. We can lean on each other for support.
What discussions do you hope viewers will have about cancer after watching Couture?
Alice is a brilliant director, as is her approach to the disease. Too often, films about women’s ordeals—especially cancer—speak of end and sadness, rarely of life. Alice has made a film about life that addresses sensitive topics with delicacy.
The film carries another important message to anybody who is with a woman they love, which is to speak about desire and sexuality within a post-diagnosis context. I hope the film encourages loved ones not to be shy about the sexuality of a person who is going through breast cancer.
If you could single-handedly dictate the next big trend in culture, what would it be?
Bold self-expression.
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