The pair sat down for a joint interview with Today USA, to promote their new film, By The Sea.
The intimate chat gave the 40-year-old actress the chance to discuss why she had to undergo multiple surgeries, a double mastectomy in 2013 and an ovary removal two years later, to reduce her risk of cancer.
“I knew through the surgeries that he was on my side and that this wasn’t something where I was gonna feel less of a woman because my husband wasn’t gonna let that happen,” Ange said.
“To face these issues together and speak about them and talk about what it is to be human, I think can be a beautiful thing.”
It was clear that Brad was incredibly proud of his wife’s bravery.
“There was no vanity to my wife’s approach,” the 51-year-old explained.
“It was mature. ‘This is our life and we’re gonna make the best of it.’ There was a strength in that. It was just another one of those things in life that makes you tighter, and she was doing it for the kids, and she was doing it for her family so we could be together.”
While the couple-of-ten-years chatted about Angelina’s medical decisions, the pair also focused on their new film together, where Angelina revealed the poignant influence behind the cinematic themes.
The mum-of-five went on to explain that her film was inspired by the grief she endured following her mom’s death in 2007. Angelina’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand passed away at age 56 after succumbing to ovarian cancer following an eight-year battle.
“We can’t say what the whole film is about, but a lot of the film was when I went to visit my mum in the hospital, when she found out she had cancer the first time,” Angelina recalled.
Angelina’s medical decisions were for her kids.
“She was going to have her ovaries removed, [and] was very upset, feeling like…they’re taking out her parts that were female, and there was a woman down the hall who was wailing. I later found out it was a young woman who had not had children yet, and that put everything into perspective.”
It was throughout the editing process that the actress discovered that she could have early-stage ovarian cancer. As preventative measure and in addition to her mastectomy, the humanitarian decided to she needed to get her ovaries removed and her Fallopian tubes tied.
Unexpectedly, the experience was an incredible full circle moment.
“We [Angelina and her mum] had some of the same nurses, some of the same doctors,” Angelina explained.
“So, the doctor that did my ovary surgery was my mother’s doctor. And apparently my mother had said to her, ‘Promise me you will take Angie’s ovaries out.’ So when we kind of got together, we both had a big cry, and she said, ‘I promised your mother, and I’ve gotta do this’.”
Earlier this year Brad and Angelina celebrated a year of marriage.
By The Sea will be the couple’s first collaboration since their 2005 film, Mr. And Mrs Smith.
Speaking of the film, Angelina said, “We were joking… We were saying, like… ‘See, this is the beginning. And then this is 10 years later. This is what 10 years of marriage will do to you’.”
Before adding, “I’m counting on the audience to know that if it was close to us at all, we could never make this film. It’s because we’re actually very, very stable and these aren’t our issues.”
It’s clear their relationship has gone from strength to strength… but Angelina admitted they might need a little work in one area.
“Every three months I’ll say, ‘Honey, I think I should learn how to cook,”’ Angelina joked..
With Brad quick reply, “I just humour it. But really, she has no business in the kitchen.”
Watch the trailer for By The Sea in the video player below
