Angelina Jolie hints at move into politics amid speculation over 2020 presidential election run
Hollywood star was guest editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie has hinted she may move into politics in the future.
The 43-year-old, who is a special envoy to the UN Refugee Agency, said she would have dismissed this two decades ago but was now willing to go where she was needed.
Jolie was the guest editor of the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday, and appeared on the show herself to discuss American politics, social media, sexual violence and the global refugee crisis.
When asked by presenter Justin Webb whether she would consider getting involved in politics, she said: “If you asked me 20 years ago, I would’ve laughed... I always say I’ll go where I’m needed, I don’t know if I’m fit for politics… but then I’ve also joked that I don’t know if I have a skeleton left in my closet.
“I’m also able to work with governments and I’m also able to work with militaries, and so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done.”
The film star, who campaigns on refugees, sexual violence and conservation, added that “for now” she would stay quiet.
When Webb suggested that meant she could be on the list of 30 to 40 Democrats running for the party’s presidential nomination, the mother-of-six did not say no, replying: “Thank you.”
The actor also talked about the difficulties of monitoring her children’s social media activities - saying that like “most parents”, she is unable to control everything they are exposed to.
“There are certain realities to teenagers and also our generation doesn’t understand half of what they are doing with their tech so they can get around us pretty easy,” she said.
She said that neither she nor any of her children were on Facebook because she had found no need to be on the social media site, but said she would alert them about the risks of possible online harms if they decided to join.
“We’re the last family that hasn’t gone on Facebook!” she said.
She said all her children had seen inaccurate claims about them even from those “considered serious news people.”
“They have a very odd sense of who is telling the truth and what they believe or trust,” she said.
Jolie said she hoped to “bring people together from a cross-section” during her time as a guest editor on the show.
She said: “For me the biggest challenge I have had in my work is trying to understand how all the pieces come together.
“And with the state of the world we are all living in, with so much instability and the numbers rising on refugees, we’re at 68 million people displaced, and with all the many, many things your audience is aware of, how do we get to the core of what is happening and who are the different people that are offering solutions”.
One of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners – Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege – featured while Jolie guest edited.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments