Angelina Jolie opens up to the German edition of Vanity Fair about everything from politics to her newborn twins. Here are some choice quotes via Us Weekly:
On why she could be voting for Barack Obama: “Obama is fighting for international justice, he wants to intervene militarily in genocides abroad, and he wants to close down Guantanamo Bay. They are things which could move me to vote for him, not his roots. Of course, an American president like Barack Obama would be great for my family but would not be a reason to vote for someone.” (On Monday, Brad carried a notebook with a Obama sticker on it.)
On why she’s proud of the USA: “I am very proud of being American, and all my children have got American passports. For me, our family is just what America is - a melting pot, a mixture of many different races and nations. My children should be proud of their Asian and African roots, but that in no way means [is] a lack of respect for the fact that they and their parents are Americans.”
On her twins Knox and Vivienne (3-months-old on Sunday): “It’s a damned arduous business, and we are often simply whacked out because it is twice as hard with two babies as with one. But it also makes for double the fun. After we flew back from Europe, we were all suffering a bit from jetlag. We were all in bed early, but at half past four, they were awake and making a real racket… Brad took care of them. He said to me, ‘Go back to sleep, you’re back to work in the morning,’ and moved into the kids’ room with them. He is an astounding father, full of devotion… [Knox and Vivienne] have quite similar, stable rhythms. Every three hours they get hungry, then I have to satisfy them. But that’s OK, the two of them are totally sweet. When you see them, you think they were made for each other. They laugh together, they sniff each other, touch each other. It is beautiful.”
On struggling to find alone time with Brad: “Sometimes, at the end of the day, we try to retire to the bathroom to be undisturbed,” she says. “But then [the kids] hear the water running and want to come in and, yet again, we are all together. But that doesn’t disturb us because they are great kids.”
On how fame has changed motherhood for her: “I would like to have more freedom, especially to have the chance to be more spontaneous with my kids. Would I like to be able to walk through the streets with my kids? Of course. Would I like to be able to wander around Manhattan and buy them an ice cream like other mothers? Of course. But it is not possible. On the other hand, every morning I wake up with the people who are the most dear to me in the whole world. That’s why I don’t feel isolated from that, which is important to me. It helps, of course, that Brad knows all about it, but he’s experienced it even more than me. We often talk about it and try to make the best of things. But I am very grateful for our life and everything that we have.”
