Angelina Jolie: “I had three months of seeing what I could do” on Why She Rejected Tomb Raider at First That Will Never Be Replaced

Angelina Jolie initially rejected the offer to play Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series, until the creators gave her an offer she could not refuse.

Easily one of the most popular franchises in Hollywood, Tomb Raider has become synonymous with Angelina Jolie.

However, what many fans do not know is that the actress initially declined the offer to play Lara Croft.

According to her, she did not feel like the role suited her much at the time.

Angelina Jolie in a still from Maria | Credits: Netflix.

However, the creators told her that she would have a chance to travel the world because of the movie.

Not only that, she also got the chance to train with the British military.

So she took a few months and put herself through the process.

The end result was the 2001 Tomb Raider movie, which sort of became her signature style as the years went on.

Angelina Jolie claimed Tomb Raider taught her a lot about herself despite initially declining the offer 

As fans are aware, Angelina Jolie loves performing stunts by herself when it comes to her movies.

According to her, what made her realize that key aspect of her personality was the first Tomb Raider movie back in 2001.

Interestingly, she initially declined the offer to take part in the movie as she felt like it did not suit her, via Collider.

Angelina Jolie in a still from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider- The Cradle Of Life | Credit: Paramount Pictures.

The creators, though, changed her mind with an enticing offer she could not refuse.

And the offer was not of monetary compensation, but a once-in-a-lifetime experience that would be hard to come across again.

She narrated the incident in the interview, saying it taught her a lot about herself.

They said you can travel the world and train with the British Military and so I had three months of seeing what I could do.

And I would encourage anybody to do that.

According to Jolie, everybody should try and experience as much as they can in life.

She feels like people should push themselves and see just how far they can go in situations that might feel impossible for them.

She further stated that people should not let fear or inexperience hold them back.

True magic happens when people give themselves a chance to step out of their comfort zones.

Sign up for as much as you can, give yourself a few months, push yourself to the limit and see, ‘What can I do?’ And you find that there’s a lot you didn’t know and some crazy, weird things you can do or you’re capable of, so I love it.

She iterated that this experience taught her the importance of performing her own stunts.

According to her, as technology progresses further, it becomes even more important to put that touch of authenticity in the movies.

I do think the more we have in film that’s visual effects, the more it’s important to do your own stunts if you can because I think the audience knows the difference and it feels real when it is.

Thankfully for Angelina Jolie, Tomb Raider became a cult classic that continues to garner fans even after decades.

It not only established her as a prominent action heroine in the industry, but the charm of the first movie even to this day remains unmatched.

Angelina Jolie is thriving in her single life amidst a messy divorce from Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt finally called it quits after two years of marriage in 2016.

Although they started dating way back in the early 2000s, which allegedly led to Pitt’s divorce from Friends star Jennifer Aniston, they tied the knot in 2014.

A particularly harrowing incident in Pitt’s private plane where the two Hollywood stars got into a physical altercation, made Jolie put her foot down.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in By the Sea | Credit: Universal Pictures.

Interestingly, even after eight years, their divorce hasn’t been finalized, and the legal battle between the former couple is seemingly only heating up as days pass.

Fortunately, for the Maleficent star, she is finally thriving according to an inTouch report.

The knight in shining armor, who has successfully pulled Angelina Jolie out of her dark place is none other than Salma Hayek.

According to an insider close to Jolie, the actress is ready to take on Hollywood and the world again.

She’s climbing out of a pretty dark place and is ready to shine again.

She is also reportedly socializing more and accepting invitations.

In fact, according to the source, she is also ready to step into dating circles again after a long time.

Salma Hayek reportedly has been a strong force beside the Salt star and has managed to help her steadily build her self-esteem up again.

The insider claimed, that Hayek is encouraging her to “embrace her s**uality more again.” They insisted,

[Salma Hayek] has really taken her under her wing and is such a big cheerleader for her.

Thankfully for Angeline Jolie, their combined efforts seem to be paying off.

As is evident from Jolie’s comeback in Hollywood with Maria, which even gained her a Golden Globes nominee this year as per a Forbes report.

Both Maria and Friends are now available for streaming on Netflix. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is streaming on Apple TV.