BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Angelina Jolie is tackling a meaty role as Maria Callas after a few quiet years of healing

- NICI DE WET

SHE commanded the screen in Girl, Interrupted and created an enduring fan base as the video-game character Lara Croft. Over the years she took a turn as a spy, an assassin and a delicious Disney villain with a few emotional dramas tossed in along the way.

But it’s been years since fans of Angelina Jolie have seen her really shine on the silver screen.

For the past seven years, she’s been directing and taking on smaller roles that didn’t bring much fanfare and she’s been busy developing her fashion line.

And, of course, she’s been dealing with the aftermath of her split from Brad Pitt in 2014.

But now Angie is back in all her pillow-lipped glory, taking on a role that might score her another Academy award.

The 48-year-old is filming Maria, a biopic about Maria Callas, who’s often credited as one of the greatest opera stars of the 20th century.

Angie plays the soprano whose life was marked by music and tragedy. Maria made headlines for her magical voice and for having an affair with Greek shipping heir Aristotle Onassis, who later left her for Jacqueline Kennedy. The film follows her final years in 1970s Paris, where she lived largely as a recluse before dying of a heart attack at 53.

It’s the meatiest role Angie’s tackled in ages.

She deliberately hasn’t taken on many big acting gigs in the past few years, she told Vogue magazine recently. “I guess I’m in transition as a person.

“I feel a bit down these days. I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way, which I don’t want to get into.”