Jolie: I am a humanitarian first

2007-06-06 14:47

New York - Angelina Jolie, who won an Oscar for 1999's Girl, Interrupted, says she wants to be remembered for her humanitarian work.

"I have no animosity toward Hollywood or the demands of the red carpet, all that silliness," Jolie, 32, tells Esquire magazine in its upcoming July issue.

"That's my job, and I'm happy to have it. But when I die, do I want to be remembered as an actress? No."

"I recently had an op-ed (column) published in a newspaper," she continues. "And at the end, it didn't say I was an actress. It said that I was a UN goodwill ambassador - that's all. And I was really proud."

Jolie, an activist for issues ranging from global poverty to wildlife conservation, says she has found meaning as a citizen of the world.

"I entered this business before I had focus and purpose in my life," says Jolie. "I was very unhappy, very unhealthy, and when I sat down for an interview, I didn't know why. I felt like I didn't have anything to share. It was a very empty time."

Full life for Angelina and Brad

Today, her life is far from empty. Jolie and her partner, Brad Pitt, 43, have four children: 5-year-old Maddox, who was adopted from Cambodia; 3-year-old Pax Thien, who was adopted from Vietnam; 2-year-old Zahara, who was adopted from Ethiopia; and daughter, Shiloh, who was born to the couple a year ago.

"I try to make sure that each of my children has enough of my attention to feel equal. I try to make sure that my relationship with the man in my life is solid and complete and we're very connected and having a great life together and enjoying our children and being part of the world. So that's my life," she says.

"We don't go to parties. We hardly ever leave the house. We try to schedule time when we're alone," says Jolie, who sports various tattoos, wore a vial of Billy Bob Thornton's blood around her neck during their marriage, and was blamed for Pitt's divorce from Jennifer Aniston - which Pitt has denied.

'Together time in later years'

"Right now, Pax is sleeping in our bed. It's kind of nice, him immediately knowing and feeling comfortable with us," she says.

"Madd slept with me until Brad and I got together. They're fun to sleep with. We have family sleep on Sundays. Everybody sleeps together."

"Some people have their lives together and then they have their children," says Jolie, who stars in Viacom Inc's upcoming Paramount Vantage film A Mighty Heart.

"Brad and I are starting with the children and are planning to have our time together in our later years."

- AP