(Credit: Courtesy of Fabula)
In anticipation of the world premiere of the Maria Callas biopic “Maria,” Angelina Jolie disclosed that she spent six months preparing and learning to sing for the role.
In an interview, Jolie and director Pablo Larraín discussed the process of creating the film’s soundscape. Jolie’s training, which lasted over six months, resulted in a performance described as defining and at times staggering.
Larraín mentioned that both Jolie’s singing voice and Callas’ iconic voice would be featured in the film. He explained, “You always listen to Angelina and you always listen to Maria Callas. When we listen to Maria Callas in her prime, most of the sound is Callas—90 percent, 95 percent—and when we listen to Callas older and in the present, almost all of it is Angelina.”
He added, “How can you make a movie about Maria Callas without using her voice? You can’t. You can’t make a movie like this with an actress that is not actually singing it. This is the real thing—it was very scary for her, but she did it.”
In addition to singing, Jolie also learned Callas’ cadence and her unique signatures, reaching a point where she would hear the operas in an earpiece while singing them herself.
“Maria” is set to make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The film follows Maria Callas’ life during her final days in 1970s Paris. The movie, which is still seeking U.S. distribution, will also be featured at the Telluride Film Festival and New York Film Festival.
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