The Changing Roles of Angelina Jolie

24-11-2008This Month 24th Nov 15:02

Angelina Jolie is one of the most versatile actors currently in Hollywood and 2008 has demonstrated that as she moved from animation film Kung Fu Panda to Wanted's action chick Fox.

It's a change of pace again this week for the actress with her role in Clint Eastwood's Changeling, a role which sees her surrounded in Oscar whispers. Based on the actual incident that rocked California's legal system Jolie stars as Christine Collins who's son vanishes in 1928. Months later a nine year old boy is returned to her.

Dazed by the swirl of cops, reporters and her conflicted emotions, Christine allows him to stay overnight. But in her heart, she knows he is not Walter. Slandered as delusional and unfit, Christine finds an ally in activist Reverend Briegleb (Malkovich), who helps her fight the city to look for her missing boy.

The filmed was screened at Cannes in May to critical acclaim and many expect Angelina Jolie to be a very strong contender come February after she was overlooked for her role as Marianne Pearl in A Mighty Heart.

Her first lead role came in 1993's low budget movie Cyborg 2 as Casella Reese, a near human robot. hackers was next, where she met first husband Johnny Lee Miller, and although it failed to make a profit at the box office it gained a cult following.

A string of other roles followed but it was in TV movie George Wallace that she received award recognition, winning a Golden Globe, for her role as Cornelia Wallace in the biographical film.

She stayed with television earning critical acclaim for her portrayal of Gia Carangi in HBO's Gia. The film followed her life, career and her drug addiction and eventual death of AIDS. For the second consecutive year, Jolie won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy. She also won her first Screen Actors Guild Award.