Santa Barbara

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on the Red Carpet

“I think this is the most important role of my life,” Angelina Jolie remarked upon playing Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart. Pearl is the famous widow of fellow Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl, who was killed by terrorists in Pakistan. Pearl’s heart is mighty indeed, as the clips shown in Jolie’s conversation with film critic Pete Hammond reveal.

She graciously accepted the award presented by renowned actor and director Clint Eastwood. The two praised each other. Jolie raved about working with the veteran Eastwood in the upcoming thriller The Changeling. “He made everything easy,” she commented upon the sense of camaraderie in the set. In turn, Eastwood said that he was lucky, to be editing her work every day. “The camera loves Angela.”

And from the moment Pitt and Jolie exited their black limo on State Street in Santa Barbara, hundreds of cameras were loving them. They strolled around to sign autographs and pose with fans before practically sprinting down the red carpet. The two did stop to talk to the cadre of young reporters from the Santa Barbara Middle School press.

While on stage, Jolie was composed, graceful, talking about how much she loves being a mother, how being an actor can be strange work. “You just emote,” and why she became a pilot, “I wanted a real skill,” she said. As opposed to just emoting. And she loves the freedom of being in the air. She links her passion for motherhood with her passion for humanitarian causes, and the importance of films like A Mighty Heart, which tell the story of a woman, Mariane Pearl, who could be seen as a victim of terrorism, but refused to be terrorized.

by Felicia Tomasko

  To see a photo gallery with more photos, visit: http://www.independent.com/photos/galleries/2008/feb/02/sbiff-2008-outstanding-jolie/