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Yesterday, PittWatch reader Kim left a comment in this post, raising an interesting debate question regarding Angelina Jolie and action roles. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a proper discussion post here on the site, and I figured this would be an excellent time for it.
Angelina Jolie is well-known for being arguably the best female action star in Hollywood. Other women have done some great action roles (Milla Jovovich immediately springs to mind, as does Sigourney Weaver), but Angelina is top-notch. At a recent awards show, she was the only female shown in the action film montage. That says a lot.
One of my favorites of all her action roles is still that of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. I have watched both of the movies numerous times and they never get old.
I think the biggest appeal with her action roles is knowing that Angelina does most, if not all, of her stunts herself. She does have a stunt double, but from what I’ve understood, her double mostly does the action first so they cam mark it out for the cameras/lights and so Angie can see what she’s going to be doing. I was blown away the first time I saw a behind-the-scenes special on Tomb Raider and saw how much Angelina did for the cameras. It was amazing!
The question that was raised is basically this: Is Angelina Jolie getting too old to take on heavy-duty action roles? And you could extend that to: How old IS too old?
It’s a timely question because I’ve read here and there that some people do think she’s getting too old to be the major action star, rolling around with guns and jumping off of moving vehicles. It was brought up again in a comment on MTV in a post about the possibilities of Wanted 2. Someone wrote:
[...] Jolie seems to be getting a little too old for sexy-action roles.
My opinion is pretty straightforward. I think Angelina Jolie is definitely not too old for action roles. Not yet, anyway. First of all, she’s definitely still sexy, there’s no doubt about that. Proof can be seen right here.
Second, if she’s still capable of doing her own stunts then she is most certainly still capable of pulling off the action role. She looked perfectly believable in all the stills we saw while she was filming Salt (like the time she was scaling a building in New York!), so I have no doubt that the movie and the role will be amazing.
Third, as long as someone like Harisson Ford can still play action roles, there’s just no reason why Angie can’t do the same.
I figure that when Angelina – or her body – decides she’s too old to play the action roles anymore, that’s when she will indeed be too old to keep doing it. Not a minute sooner!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! First answer the poll:
Then be sure to elaborate in the comments!
Image: Newscom
10 days ago
[...] the exploitation film vibe to waft them back to an era where the tough girls ran the show, before size-zero nitwits took over with their puffed up lips and implants. Tough girls like Tura Satana in ‘Faster, [...]
By far Agie is still a powerhouse when it comes to action movies,she did state that it have to be something that is interesting or that she can learn something from it, what a thinker.Some of the young actress in Hollywood can not do half the stunts on their own, I am younger than she is no matter what I wouldn’t attempt those stunts even with a stunt double hat’s off to you, you are GREAT Angie.Angie you got what it takes, keep on keeping on,by the way I am only one month and a day younger than you isn’t that strange, GOD BLESS YOU.
If Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood and others can still be credible in action roles so can Angelina. We need a strong woman to keep the action going.
Angie Jan 09, Japan:
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc315/nenufar_photos/BBJapan29enero20095.jpg
Angie’s back May 09
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm98/ThoHow/Inglorious%20Basterds/Afterparty/218123-brad-pitt-et-angie-font-la-f.jpg
Angie has always been on the slim side!
The way she looked in MAMS is the way she looks now, you just have to look at her chest and her face to know it. Also look again at the recent RC pics for Ing Bast’ds.
I don’t believe this sudden issue that people have with her size. She was never a big girl, never!
How can anyone say Angie is getting too old for action movies, she is only 34. Reese W. is 37or 38 and Jen is 40+, they all want to play lead roles in action movies and they’re all years older than Angie. Harrison Ford is in his 60s, Tom Cruise 48 or 49 and they are still playing lead roles in action movies, no one is saying these actors who are too old, they are a lot older than Angie. Angie is great and very sexy in action movies, I have seen T/Raider and Lara Croft lots of times and Wanted many times. Wanted is my all time favourite and I would love to see her in Wanted 2. She was breath taking and super sexy in Wanted. I’m looking forward to Salt. She generates millions for the makers of these movies and that is why the offers keep coming, there is no other female actress who can play these parts better than Jolie right now. She is just the best and definitely not old.
kim- Again, I agree! Angie may very well have a high metabolism, and it may be difficult for her to put on weight, especially running after all those kids. Also, she’s been very open about the fact that she loses weight while nursing, and it hasn’t yet been a full year since she stopped breastfeeding the twins (she mentioned that she stopped when they were three months old…which was last October).
On top of all that, I’m sure that all those stunts we saw her doing for Salt earlier this year didn’t exactly help her put weight back on! Also, with all due respect, unless we are Angelina, Brad, one of their very close friends, or Angie’s doctor, we don’t know whether or not she’s too skinny.
She might be too skinny for some people’s personal tastes….but that doesn’t mean she’s too skinny in the sense that she’s unhealthy. Like I said earlier, she actually looks very happy and healthy right now.
Oh, and I actually don’t think she weighed THAT much more during MAMS. If you look at those photos of her, Brad, and Maddox on the beach (I forget what country it was in, but it was the first time Angie and Brad came out as a couple), you can see that her arms and legs were quite skinny then, too.
Some people are just, for lack of a better term, bean poles, and there’s nothing wrong with that! We all come in different shapes and sizes. Some people are naturally thin, others have trouble keeping the weight OFF, and some people fall right in the middle. That’s part of what makes us all unique! :)
I’d like to see what you guys looked like if you were running around after 6 kids. I only run after one and I have trouble keeping weight on or I did since turning 38-40 I have found its very easy to keep the weight on. I had a high metabolism and now its slowed down. I now have to go exercise god I hate that.
Look at Angie in Mr and Mrs Smith. She looked great and weighed 5-10 pounds more. She IS too skinny.
kim- I agree! I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but, frankly, I am sick and tired of people saying that Angie is too skinny! Angie has ALWAYS been on the thin side, she has even admitted that herself. That’s just her natural body type. The only times she hasn’t been skinny were during her pregnancies and when she undertook special training to bulk up for the Tomb Raider films.
The only time she has been scarily, unhealthily skinny (and, yes, frail looking) was back in 2007….and that was because she had just lost her mother and was grieving, which is very understandable.
Anyway, I think Angie actually looks very healthy now! She COULD maybe stand to put on a few pounds for vanity’s sake, but I don’t think she actually NEEDS to gain any weight. :)
Vel,
That’s just so untrue and not really a good answer.
I don’t think she’s too old, just too skinny and frail looking to be an action hero
Well lets see, this is a good one. It seems people in general can not equate a mother of 6 with being an action star, sexy or not! I see no different, mother or not. At the very least she would be stronger, as it takes a strong women to raise children. Such rubish, to old for action movie rolls! Men have at least 12-15 years on women in this category. Its not really their fault, it is our society in general, we still have double standards when it comes to men and women perceived as equals in the work place. Notice there is no double standard issues with women playing the more active role in the raising of their children. While I think men take a much more active role (BRAD) in the family unit, it is still a womens role as the main caregiver.
I say, you go girl, knock ‘em dead!!
Now this does not mean I wouldn’t love to see Brad in more action movies. Love Troy, YUM!
OH! I know, they should do one together. Now theres a thought.
She’s 32 or something!!!! old!! no way…
If a 45-year-old Sandra Bullock can still make romantic comedies as if she were a young ingenue, then Angie can make action flicks!
So you went and had this discussion with out me, oh well now I can get one of the last words. LOL
So when I brought this up in the other post, it’s not that I think AJ is to old, I mean she’s only 34, still very young although not in Hollywood. I thought of this for two reasons one people seem to express the opinion that now that she is a mother of 6 she should slow down and take care of her children. Well that’s a bunch of crap, most woman today have children and work. And they work more and longer hours then AJ. As for her taking chances, well life is all about taking chances and I think she take more chances going to war torn countries then in her movies. My second thought is – should she give up her throne as woman action star to someone newer/ younger? If you consider who goes to watch action movies (majority) you are looking at boys/men between the ages of 18-30. Who do they want to go pay money to watch? Despite the fact that we all love AJ and she is beautiful and amazing, the fact is she now has 6 children and she is now in the category of yummy mommy. The youth of today is starting to look towards younger woman more their own age, that they can fantasize about.
So in conclusion despite that fact that I (we) think she can play these roles (and she can), they will stop coming her way, in favor of younger woman, like Megan Fox, who the movie goes to action movie want to see and pin up on their wall to fantasize about.
No I don’t think Angelina is too old for action movies, she is so talented and still young enough for any role that she chooses to do. God bless all the Jolie-Pitt family I adore them.
Hmmmmm… isn’t it peculiar I’ve never every seen a discussion like this for Arnold or Bruce or Wesley or Harrison, etc., etc., etc. Besides with the age of life expectancy for women being 80.4 years (2007), perhaps you may want to re-think of “34″ as “old”
Maria – thanks for that video! I loved it really much. I think that Brad should get rid of that awful facial hair. It doesn´t suit him at all. He looks much more handsome without it. But Angie sure loves him no matter what he looks like. Wonder what their children think of that hideous facial hair. Maybe some of them love it and some hate it. LOL. He´s still their daddy – with or without facial hair.