ANGELINA JOLIE

AS WE JOIN THE FRAGRANT GUERLAIN MUSE IN HER BELOVED PARIS ANGELINA JOLIE TALKS FEMALE EMPOWERMENT AND WHY HER CHILDREN ARE AT THE HEART OF HER BIG NEW CAREER DECISION

- CHARLOTTE JOLLY

Angelina Jolie is taking in the spectacular view from her private terrace at the exclusive Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. She is in town with her godmother, the British actress Jacqueline Bisset, for the launch of Mon Guerlain’s Eau de Parfum Intense, for which Angelina is the muse.

“It’s wonderful to be back in Paris,” she exclusively tells HELLO!. “It reminds me that I don’t spend nearly enough time here. Sometimes we’re somewhere in our lives and can’t really imagine something different – we don’t take ourselves out of a place. But when I’m in Paris, I feel like a different person – and I’m curious about that side of myself. It’s enlightening here.”

Angelina’s visit to the country close to her heart – it was where she gave birth to her twins – also coincides with a press preview of the perfume’s promotional film, shot by Oscarwinning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki at Angelina’s new home in Cambodia.

“She was very generous,” Guerlain Chief Executive Laurent Boillot tells us. “She invited us to Cambodia, which is a special place for her, and said: ‘I’m going to give you the new Angelina.’”

CAPTURING THE SPIRIT

Not only does the film give a glimpse into the actress’s life; its title track, Wild Thing, also has a special significance as it was written by her uncle, Chip Taylor. Does the soundtrack reflect how she feels now? “Every woman has that in her but often we can’t be as free, wild and open as we deserve to be,” she says.

“It’s one of the things we wanted to put across in this film: that a free, wild woman is not angry, aggressive or antimen. And it’s not just about being dark and sexy – it’s happy and joyful.”