Joining the likes of Sean Connery and Keith Richards, Angelina Jolie became one of the select celebs to star in Louis Vuitton’s core values campaign. Shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz in the commercial, The Eternals star opened up about her initial experience during her first visit to Cambodia in the early 2000s.
Jolie, who adopted her first son Maddox from an orphanage in Cambodia, recalled being warned about the country’s landmine situation during her time filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
Angelina Jolie Was Shocked to Learn About Cambodia’s Landmine Problem
When Angelina Jolie first arrived in Cambodia to shoot Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, she was made aware of land mines that were scattered all around the country after the Khmer Rouge’s fall in 1979. Considering it was the first Hollywood production to be shot in Cambodia after the war, she recalled being restricted from moving around freely for the shoot due to the country’s landmine issue.
She recalled:
I first came to Cambodia about 10 years ago for a film, and we were the first film back since the war, so we didn’t know what it was going to be like or what the people are going to be like, and it was the first time I became aware of landmines, and I remember standing in a waterfall during one of our shots, and they said ‘just stay on this side of the waterfall because that side of the waterfall still hasn’t been demined’.
The Maleficent star further stressed that she couldn’t fathom the idea of kids and people walking around areas that were filled with landmines.
This prompted the actress to kickstart the non-profit organization Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation in 2003, which aimed to clear landmine-contaminated areas. In its latter years, the organization expanded and incorporated agriculture, education, gender equality, and healthcare into its project.
Angelina Jolie Has Plans to Relocate to Cambodia
Since parting ways with Brad Pitt back in 2016, Angelina Jolie has taken a step back from the big screen, as in the last few years, she has only appeared in a handful of projects. Reflecting on her absence from Hollywood in recent years, the actress deemed it an unhealthy place, sharing that she would’ve opted to become a stage actor had she started her career in 2023.
She told WSJ:
I wouldn’t be an actress today. When I was starting out, it wasn’t as much of an expectation to be as public, to share so much.
She further opened up about her plans to shift to Cambodia, stating “I will move when I can”. And considering her contribution to the country in the past two decades, the people of Cambodia shared that they’ll openly welcome the Oscar winner.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
