*Angelina Jolie committed to seven months of vocal training before stepping into the role of Greek opera icon Maria Callas for the upcoming Netflix biopic “Maria.”
“I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll pretend-sing and I’ll get through this,’ ” the actress recalled during a Q&A at the movie’s New York Film Festival premiere Sunday. “Then it was very clear to me that you can’t pretend opera, and then I was scared.”.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, “Maria,” according to a synopsis, “follows the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye.” Maria “reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.”
Maria Callas, renowned for her remarkable three-octave vocal range, became a global sensation in the mid-20th century. She passed away in Paris in 1977 at the age of 53 due to a heart attack.
Starring Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, Maria is a creative imagining and a psychological portrait of Maria Callas. The film takes place in the ’70s near the end of Callas’ life. A story about a woman that lived from the ’20s to ’70s, a woman who burned her voice, her life,… pic.twitter.com/zRr0fht7eB
— Netflix (@netflix) August 28, 2024
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Speaking onstage before Sunday’s screening, PEOPLE reports that Jolie said, “I’m so happy to be here tonight. And I’m so happy to share this stage with these extremely talented, wonderful people and my dear friends. I hope you see in this film how much we really care for the people whose lives we’re sharing with you and how much they also loved art.”
The actress noted that Callas “loved New York” and “I know she loved to perform here, teach here. I know she would have loved to be here tonight, to feel this communication and be with all of you who really appreciate the life of an artist.”
Jolie added, “I hope you also see how much we deeply respect the art form that is opera. We’re so excited to bring this to you tonight.”
“Maria” debuts in select theaters on Nov. 27, then on Netflix Dec. 11. Watch the trailer above.
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