Opera isn’t precisely identified for its half measures. So when Angelina Jolie took on the function of Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s newest movie, she needed to go all in—however does that imply that was actually her singing in Maria?
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Maria follows one in every of opera’s best stars in her last days in 1977 Paris, as she displays on her legendary profession and makes an attempt to reclaim her voice one final time. For director Larraín, capturing the essence of Callas meant his star would want to do extra than simply look the half. “It’s a must to learn to sing opera, or I can inform once we are shut in your face, as a result of it’s who she is,” he advised Jolie, as she recounted to Netflix‘s Tudum. However in keeping with Jolie, she might solely sing “a bit of”—and her abilities would quickly be put to the take a look at.
Is that really Angelina Jolie singing in Maria?
Sure, that’s actually Angelina Jolie singing in Maria—however with a little bit of a twist. What audiences hear in Maria is definitely a mix of two voices: Jolie’s stay performances combined with Callas’s archival recordings. However don’t credit score Jolie’s supply completely to the magic of enhancing; the Maleficent star nonetheless needed to ship genuine opera performances all through filming. As Larraín revealed within the movie’s press notes, “There isn’t a miracle type of know-how right here.” As a substitute, Jolie typically discovered herself singing with none backing monitor in entrance of a whole bunch of extras and crew members.
The transformation required practically seven months of intensive coaching earlier than filming even started. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the complicated Italian arias that proved most difficult at first—it was the fundamentals. “The primary few weeks had been the toughest as a result of my physique needed to open and I needed to breathe once more,” Jolie advised the Related Press, describing her discovery of simply how a lot she “wasn’t” respiration correctly earlier than.
This bodily reawakening got here with its share of susceptible moments. One notably nerve-wracking occasion had Jolie’s sons serving to her to lock the door throughout her first singing try, as she shared with Selection. However Larraín knew precisely the right way to construct his star’s confidence. “Pablo, in his decency, began me in a small room and ended me in La Scala,” she defined, referencing Milan’s legendary opera home the place a number of the movie’s most dramatic scenes happen.
The work didn’t cease as soon as cameras began rolling. Between takes, Jolie continued her vocal journey. “Pablo had a coach with me the whole lot of the movie and lessons nightly after taking pictures,” she revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. These periods helped her sort out choices from iconic operas like Carmen, Tosca, and Norma—items that demand not simply technical precision but additionally tons of emotional depth.
This emotional part turned out to be the important thing to Jolie’s method. “When opera singers categorical ache, it’s not like a bit of bit, it’s the most important depth,” she defined to Tudum. “It requires every part that you just’ve bought… your full physique… as open and as loud, in as massive a voice as you’ll be able to probably do.”
Somewhat than seeing herself as merely portraying Callas, Jolie developed a novel perspective on her relationship with the legendary diva. “She’s the accomplice on this movie with me,” she shared within the movie’s press notes. “She and I are doing this collectively.”
The movie marks the completion of Larraín’s trilogy of movies about iconic ladies, following Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). Maria is now streaming on Netflix.