Angelina Jolie says she 'No Longer Recognises' the U.S. amid free speech fears

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie didn’t mince words at the San Sebastián Film Festival this weekend. The Oscar-winning actress said she no longer recognises her own country, citing what she sees as growing threats to free expression in the United States.

“I love my country, but I don’t at this time recognise my country,” Angelina Jolie told reporters when asked about freedom of speech. Her remarks came as concerns deepen following former President Donald Trump’s attacks on the press and the suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show after comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“Anything, anywhere, that divides or limits personal expressions and freedoms, from anyone, I think is very dangerous,” Angelina Jolie added, calling the current climate “very, very heavy times we’re all living in together.”

Promoting Couture in Spain

Angelina Jolie was in Spain to present Couture, a film directed by French filmmaker Alice Winocour, which is in competition for the festival’s Golden Shell. She stars as Maxine Walker, an American director grappling with divorce, illness, and a complicated love story set against the backdrop of Paris Fashion Week. French actor Louis Garrel co-stars.

The actress, who won an Academy Award in 1999 for Girl, Interrupted, said she felt a personal connection to her character’s struggles. In 2013, Angelina Jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy, later followed by the removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes due to a genetic cancer risk that also took the lives of her mother and grandmother.

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A deeply personal reflection

Visibly emotional, Angelina Jolie said she often thought of her late mother while filming. “I wish she was able to speak more as openly as I have been, and have people respond as graciously as you have, and not feel as alone,” she said.

She also noted the unique challenges women face when battling cancers. “There’s something very particular to women’s cancers, because obviously it affects us, you know, how we feel as women,” Angelina Jolie explained.