Yeah, we’d totally vote for Angelina Jolie
In the December issue of Vanity Fair, Angelina Jolie talks about the possibility of running for political office.
(Sound of a million cars screeching to a stop all at the same time.)
Seriously, for real? Angelina Jolie, one of the most dynamic and charismatic performers of our time, a woman who has time and time again used her power and influence for humanitarian good, considering stepping off the red carpet and onto Capitol Hill? This feels like the best kind of dream, please, nobody pinch me, I don’t want to wake up from this dream of seeing Senator/Congresswoman/Governor Jolie in the headlines pushing reform and passing legislation.
So here’s how it went down. Jolie explained to Vanity Fair contributing editor Janine Di Giovanni:
“When you work as a humanitarian, you are conscious that politics have to be considered. Because if you really want to make an extreme change, then you have a responsibility.”
When asked point-blank if she sees herself pursuing a life in politics, diplomacy, or public service, Jolie said “I am open.”
But before you get your “Angelina Jolie, Vote For The Queen 2016″ buttons all printed and pinned, keep in mind that Jolie does have some reservations about whether the move from entertainment to politics would enhance or diminish her power: “. . .I honestly don’t know in what role I would be more useful—I am conscious of what I do for a living, and that [could] make it less possible.”
It’s not unheard of for actors to switch lanes and enter politics after a successful career in entertainment. Action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger became Governor of California, movie star Ronald Reagan became President of the United States. Alec Baldwin has made noise about running for the Mayor of New York City. This year George Clooney announced that he’s planning to launch a career in politics. You may be noticing a pattern here, every actor listed is a white dude. True, there was that time that Ashley Judd was maybe going to run for Senate (and she’s apparently still hasn’t crossed a political career off her list of possibilities). By and large, it’s men who make the jump from entertainment to politics. It would be thrilling to see a woman take this flying leap as well.
And if there’s any actress who could kick ass and take names in politics, it’s Jolie. A wildly successful movie star (Academy Award winner, check, multiple Golden Globe winner, check, highest paid actress in Hollywood according to Forbes in 2009, 2011, and 2014, check, check, check) Jolie is known as much for her humanitarian work as she is for her Hollywood blockbusters. She served the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees as an ambassador from 2001 to 2012, visiting war-torn countries like Cambodia, Sudan’s Darfur region, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, spreading awareness about “forgotten emergencies,” or crises that the media attention has shifted away from.
In 2012, Jolie was promoted to the rank of Special Envoy to the High Commissioner. She is the first to take on this position in the organization. She also built a Millennium Village in Cambodia (where her son Maddox was born) and schools and medical centers in Cambodia, Ethiopia (where daughter Zahara was born), Kenya and Afghanistan. In DC, Jolie has lobbied for legislation to aid child refugees and vulnerable children in the U.S. and abroad and has fronted an international campaign against sexual violence in military conflict zones. And those are just the highlights of the resumé. In all seriousness, Jolie’s humanitarian accomplishments quite possibly outnumber her acting credits on IMDb.
All of which is to say that Jolie absolutely has the background, the influence, and the magnetism to be a political superstar. Now all she has to do is say yes to the real-life role she very well may have been born to play.
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