Angelina Jolie Tears Up Discussing Mother's Cancer Battle at TIFF

A visibly emotional Angelina Jolie teared up during a Toronto International Film Festival interview when reflecting on her deceased mother.

At the Sunday, September 7, premiere of her latest movie, Couture, at the festival, an audience Q&A, as detailed by Entertainment Weekly, saw the 50-year-old actress deliver a poignant answer after being asked for guidance “to anyone who recently lost someone to cancer.” (Jolie plays a character with a cancer diagnosis in Couture, mirroring her personal loss as her own mother, Marcheline Bertrand, succumbed to cancer in 2007.)

Jolie paused first, placing a hand to her mouth while collecting herself, before she began to speak. “I’m very sorry for your loss,” Jolie started, gently wiping her eyes. “A memory I have of my mother when she was ill with cancer … we were at a dinner, and guests were inquiring … about her condition. She remarked, ‘Everyone only ever talks to me about my cancer.’”

With continued dabbing at the corners of her eyes, Jolie proceeded, “My advice would be, if you know someone experiencing such a challenge, inquire about all other aspects of their life too. They are a complete individual. And their life continues.”

Angelina Jolie became emotional while recalling her mother, Marcheline Bertrand.

The publication observed that “the audience applauded Jolie’s honest display” before the conversation shifted back to the film.

Jolie’s remarks about her mother’s passing at 56 followed her earlier tribute to the departed actress when she received the Maltin Modern Master Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February.

She shared with the attendees then, “I reflect on my mother … she was compelled to abandon her aspirations for a creative existence, yet she wholeheartedly supported that aspect of me.”

During her address, Jolie disclosed that her mother, whose life ended after a ten-year struggle with breast and ovarian cancer, used to send letters to the characters Jolie depicted on screen. “‘Dear Gia,’ ‘Dear Lisa Rowe,’ ‘Dear Lara Croft’ — and for the past 16 years, I have missed those letters,” Jolie stated then. (Jolie starred as Gia in the 1998 TV movie Gia, followed by her portrayal of Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted a year later, and her role as the video game icon Lara Croft in 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.)

Angelina Jolie commemorates her deceased mother by advocating for cancer screenings.

Within Couture, Jolie takes on the role of Maxine, a filmmaker who travels to Paris Fashion Week to helm a television program, only to subsequently discover her cancer diagnosis.

The American premiere date for Couture has not yet been disclosed.