Angelina Jolie 'had PTSD'

4 November 2021

Angelina Jolie has "had PTSD".

Angelina Jolie had PTSD

The 46-year-old actress portrays warrior Thena - who has "mad weary", a mental condition similar to post-traumatic stress disorder - in 'Eternals' and she admitted it was "very important" for her to depict a character whose past has taken a toll on her mental health.

Asked how important showing Thena's challenges were for her, she said: “Very important. I’ve had a very blessed life but I’ve had my own challenges. I’ve had PTSD.

“You often feel that feeling of being broken and wondering what you’re capable of, and being concerned you’re not able to be enough to protect and care for those you love. And so I wanted to have that discussion through this film.”

As a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina - who has six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt - has met with many PTSD-stricken soldiers and they inspired her portrayal of Thena.

She told the Times newspaper: “I think of Thena that way because she’s a warrior. And they are still strong, they are just as capable. They’re wrestling through what they’ve experienced because they are deeply feeling people, like a raw nerve, but it doesn’t make them less capable, less whole as a person.

"I wanted those things not to be in conflict. I wanted that to be the same person, that Thena could equally be the great fighter and be wrestling with this mental illness.”

Angelina thinks "everyone" has "some form of mental health" issue and thinks the current state of the world has brought that to the forefront.

She said: "In some way everyone wrestles with some form of mental health. But certainly coming out of Covid and a lot of things that have been happening globally, people are speaking a lot about mental health because people are feeling very weighed down and overwhelmed.

"The way we’re not trading fairly, stripping resources, not paying attention to the way climate affects people — there’s a lot that we really need to wake up to and then shift. I think all of this is affecting our mental health.”