Jolie battling Bell’s palsy

America was introduced to Angelina Jolie way back in 1995’s Hackers. As a sharp, rebel computer expert, Jolie got a lot of geeky hearts thumping. A few more lesser known and TV movies later, Jolie burst into the mainstream with back-to-back hits, Bone Collector and Pushing Tin. Then there was the arthouse flick, Girl Interrupted, that established Jolie’s acting cred.

Jolie returned to her geektastic roots playing the lead role in the video game movie, Tomb Raider and its sequel Cradle of Life. For the next decade and a half, Jolie made movies and tabloid headlines. One of the undisputed “sexiest” people in Hollywood, time and again, Jolie eventually matched up with another “sexiest” actor, Brad Pitt.

Her acting success continued, with a series of roles that stretched Jolie while staying true to the fans that brought her to the dance way back in ’95. Voice acting in Shark Tale and Kung Fu Panda, as well as voice and motion capture for Beowulf, was interspersed with suspense flicks like Changeling and Salt keeeping Jolie regularly in front of fans, even when she wasn’t always on camera.

Jolie has also received kudos for her directing skills, helming movies such as Unbroken and In the Land of Blood and Honey. During that time, other than the occasional adoption announcement, Jolie’s personal life slipped off the front page.

Now, that has changed. A very public split with Brad Pitt stayed in the papers for much of 2016, but it’s a recent interview in Vanity Fair that has people buzzing again. Jolie admitted she suffers from Bell’s Palsy. At least, she says, she used to. Jolie says the paralysis caused her face to droop, but she has made a full recovery.

This is not the only health issue Jolie discussed publicly. Previously, she talked candidly about her decision to have a “preventative” double mastectomy after learning she carries the gene for breast cancer. That decision was hailed as both bizarre and brave, depending on who was making the statement.

Jolie said she doesn’t worry about the criticism, but she does worry that her kids will worry about her. She told Vanity Fair: “I think it’s very important to cry in the shower and not in front of them… They need to know that everything’s going to be all right even when you’re not sure it is…”

For Jolie, that means putting on a brave face, even as she admits some fears in print.  A dichotomy? Maybe. But Jolie is out to entertain and engage. She never promised to be easy to understand.

Robert Gillings is an award winning writer, producer, actor architectural designer, philosopher and financial consultant.