Opera isn’t precisely identified for its half measures. So when Angelina Jolie took on the position of Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s newest movie, she needed to go all in—however does that imply that was actually her singing in Maria?
Associated: How Did Maria Callas Die? What the Film Didn’t Reveal About Her Dying…
Maria follows certainly one of opera’s biggest stars in her last days in 1977 Paris, as she displays on her legendary profession and makes an attempt to reclaim her voice one final time. For director Larraín, capturing the essence of Callas meant his star would wish to do extra than simply look the half. “It’s important to discover ways to sing opera, or I will inform after we are shut in your face, as a result of it’s who she is,” he advised Jolie, as she recounted to Netflix‘s Tudum. However in accordance with Jolie, she may solely sing “just a little”—and her abilities would quickly be put to the take a look at.
Is that really Angelina Jolie singing in Maria?
Sure, that’s actually Angelina Jolie singing in Maria—however with a little bit of a twist. What audiences hear in Maria is definitely a mix of two voices: Jolie’s reside performances combined with Callas’s archival recordings. However don’t credit score Jolie’s supply completely to the magic of modifying; the Maleficent star nonetheless needed to ship genuine opera performances all through filming. As Larraín revealed within the movie’s press notes, “There isn’t a miracle form of expertise right here.” As an alternative, Jolie usually discovered herself singing with none backing observe in entrance of a whole bunch of extras and crew members.
The transformation required almost seven months of intensive coaching earlier than filming even started. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the complicated Italian arias that proved most difficult at first—it was the fundamentals. “The primary few weeks have been the toughest as a result of my physique needed to open and I needed to breathe once more,” Jolie advised the Related Press, describing her discovery of simply how a lot she “wasn’t” respiratory correctly earlier than.
This bodily reawakening got here with its share of weak moments. One notably nerve-wracking occasion had Jolie’s sons serving to her to lock the door throughout her first singing try, as she shared with Selection. However Larraín knew precisely how you can construct his star’s confidence. “Pablo, in his decency, began me in a small room and ended me in La Scala,” she defined, referencing Milan’s legendary opera home the place among the movie’s most dramatic scenes happen.
The work didn’t cease as soon as cameras began rolling. Between takes, Jolie continued her vocal journey. “Pablo had a coach with me the whole lot of the movie and lessons nightly after taking pictures,” she revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. These classes helped her sort out choices from iconic operas like Carmen, Tosca, and Norma—items that demand not simply technical precision but additionally tons of emotional depth.
This emotional element turned out to be the important thing to Jolie’s strategy. “When opera singers specific ache, it’s not like just a little bit, it’s the largest depth,” she defined to Tudum. “It requires every part that you just’ve bought… your full physique… as open and as loud, in as massive a voice as you may presumably do.”
Slightly than seeing herself as merely portraying Callas, Jolie developed a novel perspective on her relationship with the legendary diva. “She’s the accomplice on this movie with me,” she shared within the movie’s press notes. “She and I are doing this collectively.”
The movie marks the completion of Larraín’s trilogy of movies about iconic girls, following Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). Maria is now streaming on Netflix.