Angelina Jolie Shares Rare Insight Into Raising Her, Brad Pitt's 6 Chi
Angelina Jolie Shares Rare Insight Into Raising Her, Brad Pitt's 6 Chi
Brahmjot Kaur Thu, September 10, 2026 at 7:37 PM UTC
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Originally appeared on E! Online
Angelina Jolie isn't interrupting her kids' dreams.
In facts, the Oscar winner shared a rare glimpse into helping her and ex Brad Pitt's kids Maddox, 25, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, Pax, 22, and 18-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne achieve their goals amid their respective endeavors.
"They're definitely individuals," Jolie told L'Officielin an interview published Sept. 9. "That makes me very proud, because one of the most important things, I think, is to basically not get in their way."
"As a parent, you try to do many things," she continued, "but you also try to not get in the way of this human being who has a life separate from yours and so much potential in their own mind. You want to make sure that you support them."
With Maddox and Pax pursuing careers in Hollywood—the eldest was tapped as an assistant director on 2025's Couturewhile the latter was the cinematographer on Jolie's Maria: Making of (2025)—the Lara Croft star shared insight into how they're approaching their careers.
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"I think if you have any interest in working on film, you need to be a part of the crew and do the hard work and know all the different departments," she explained. "They've worked on a few films that way, and they're both doing other things, too: Maddox is focusing on being a pilot, and Pax has his photography, but I think he does have an interest in film."
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Although Jolie will do whatever she can to help them achieve their goals, she's grateful that Maddox and Pax’s journeys have kept them close to home.
"Obviously, it's nice for me to be around them," she added. "I am just Mom wanting to be around her family."
Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix
But beyond career ambitions, Jolie has also provided space for her kids to embrace their own identities. For Zahara—who was adopted from Ethiopia at 7 months old—that meant having the pinnacle HBCU experience at Spelman College. And Jolie learned a lot during those four years.
"I came in knowing that she belonged and it was a special place for her," the Mr. & Mrs. Smith alum reflected. "I didn't assume I would be as welcomed and educated and supported as I was. There's no place that would've been better for her—it really transformed her and it's really a part of our family now."
Aurore Marechal/Getty Images
In fact, Zahara—who graduated in May—had even become a member of the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.
"They actually pulled me aside when she became an AKA," Jolie recalled. "I didn't know what that really meant, but they talked to me about how it was for life. It's an extraordinary place."
"Our family felt so proud of her," she continued, "so honored to be a part of it and to feel like we were welcomed into something that is very special, unique and important."
As Jolie and Pitt's kids continue to thrive, keep reading for a guide to their family tree.
Maddox
Having fallen in love with the country of Cambodia while filming 2001'sTomb Raider,Angelina Joliepaid a visit to an orphanage in the provincial town of Battambang in the hopes of finding her first child.Walking through, "I didn’t feel a connection with any of them," she later toldVanity Fair, until she sawMaddox—born Aug. 5, 2001—lying in a box suspended from the ceiling. Feeling that bond in an instant, she said, "I cried and cried."Though the then-26-year-old adopted her eldest son as a single mother, after she began dating future husbandBrad Pitt, he started the process to adopt him as well.Thanks to an interest in his mom's work, whenAngelina directed2017'sFirst They Killed My Father, the film adaptation of her friendLoung Ung's book about the Cambodian genocide by the Khmer Rouge regime, Maddox signed on as executive producer. “I was trying to help wherever I could,”" he toldPeopleof the role. As for his boss, aka mom, she's "fun, funny, and easy to work with,” he said. "She’s a wonder."After studying biochemistry at South Korea's Yonsei University (a choicehis mom said she"could not be happier about"), Maddox attended a state dinner at the White House in April 2023 when PresidentJoe Bidenand First Lady Dr.Jill Bidenhosted South Korean PresidentYoon Suk Yeoland First LadyKim Keon Hee.Pax
Born on Nov. 29, 2003, "He spent three-and-a-half years of his life in one place, in one room, in this one little iron bed with 20 other kids, and having no choice for himself to do things, having no freedom," Angelinatold MSNin 2007 of Pax's early years in an orphange outside Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.Living with Maddox and sistersZaharaandShiloh, "suddenly, here he is in a very free situation with new brothers and sisters and a mom and dad," Angelina continued. "He’s learning English and he’s so loving and he’s wild and free 'cause he suddenly has freedom so he’s a little wild and crazy. But what a tough, remarkable little person."With an interest in the family business, Pax voiced the character Yoo in Angelina's animated 2016 filmKung Fu Panda 3and served as set photographer onFirst They Killed My Fatherbeforeattending the 2018 Golden Globeswith his mom.He alsohelped decorateAtelier Jolie, a creative fashion collective and alteration company Angelina opened in NYC, and worked in the assistant director department on the Italian set of her filmWithout Blood.As Angelina toldPeopleof working with both Pax and Maddox, "When a film crew is at its best, it feels like a big family, so it felt natural."Zahara
Then-3-year-old Maddox accompanied Angelina to the Hawassa, Ethiopia orphanage where she met eldest daughter Zahara, born Jan. 8, 2005. "Mad loves her," the actresslater toldAnderson Cooper. "When Z came home she was older, she was seven months old, so for Mad it’s like having this tiny pet he can just hold and look at."Like her siblings, Zahara has expressed interest in all facets of her mother's work,attending red carpets,launchingher charitable Zahara Collection jewelry line in collaboration with jeweler Robert Procop in 2019 andmaking trips to Syrian refugee campsas part of her mom's efforts with the UNHCR.In August 2022, Angelinagrew emotional while dropping Zahara offatAtlanta's Spelman College("I haven't started crying yet so…hopefully I can hold it together," she shared in an Instagram video), later returning for the HBCU'shomecoming festivities.Zahara—whojoined the school's Alpha Kappa Alpha sororityin 2023—has also accompanied the actress on several trips to Washington, D.C. She was by Angelina's side whenshe gave a tearful speechpromoting the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act in February 2022 and a year later when they met with lawmakers to advocate for the passage of the Justice for All Reauthorization Act of 2022.Shiloh
Months after announcing her pregnancy, Angelina and Brad welcomed Shiloh at Cottage Hospital in Swakopmund, Namibia on May 27, 2006. "Shi’s so full of light and love, she’s just a little honey, and very, very funny," Angelina said in her MSN interview. "I think I’m recognizing some of myself in that one—she’s going to be a little bit of trouble!"Makingher red carpet debutat theUnbrokenpremiere in 2014, Shiloh went on to appear at events forMaleficent: Mistress of Evil,The BreadwinnerandDumbo,the 2018 National Board of Review Awards Galaandthe 2021Eternalsred carpet, where she wore Mom's Dior gown."I'm like, 'Oh my god, wear it and wear it better than me!" Angelinatold E!'sDaily Popof encouraging her kids to raid her closet. "And take it, and it's your turn, anything.' I'm that mom."In addition to showing interestin Angelina's humanitarian efforts, Shiloh seems to have taken a few steps into the entertainment industry, spending time at L.A.'s Millennium Dance Complex.On her 18th birthday in 2024, she submitted a petition at a Los Angeles Court to remove the hyphenated "Pitt" part of her surname to be known as Shiloh Nouvel Jolie. The legal name change was made official months later.Knox
Debuting her baby bump at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards, Angelina later gave birth toKnoxand then his twin sisterViviennein Nice, France, on July 12, 2008. Settling in at their Château Miraval, “It is chaos, but we are managing it and having a wonderful time,” Angelina toldPeoplesoon after, adding that Shiloh and Zahara liked to choose the twins' clothes "and help change and hold them."Named for Brad's grandfather,Hal Knox Hillhouse, Angelinanotedthat “Knox is a lot like Brad, emotionally and physically." And, indeed, the pair did bear a striking resemblance while attendingthe 2015 British motorcycle Grand Prix.Like older siblings Pax, Zahara and Shiloh, Knoxtook on a small rolein 2016'sKung Fu Panda 3, voicing the part of Ku Ku. "They were kind of shy," JolietoldET. "They don't really want to be actors, but I didn't want them to miss the opportunity. They came in, and they had a lot of fun with it."Vivienne
Knox's younger-by-a-minute fraternal twin "reminds me of my mother in that she isn't focused on being the center of attention but in being a support to other creatives," Angelinatold E! News in a statement, referring to her late momMarcheline Bertrand. "She's very thoughtful and serious about theatre and working hard to best understand how to contribute."Thoughshe nailed her roleas the younger versionofElle Fanning's Aurora in 2014'sMaleficent("I was actually shocked that she was doing so well she went back and hit her mark! It's frightening," Angelina said at the time), the high schooler has since gravitated toward behind-the-scenes roles.Angelina said that Viviennewas the one to encourage herto help bring an adaptation ofFrancis Ford Coppola’s 1983 filmThe Outsidersto Broadway, so the teen ended upserving as a volunteer assistantto her producer mom on the Tony winner.“She’ll correct me," AngelinatoldPeopleof Vivienne,who's credited in the playbillas Vivienne Jolie. "She'll say, 'Didn't you read the memo? We have to do this, we have to go through this,' ” Jolie said. “She’s been a really tough assistant. She takes it very, very seriously.”
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
