Angelina Jolie was in the middle of what she describes as a strangely intimate scene when she learned she had been nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Maria Callas. While filming her upcoming movie Stitches, set against the backdrop of the bustling Paris Fashion Week, Jolie noticed the expressions on the faces of her closest collaborators change. "I was changing in the bathroom," Jolie recalls on a Zoom call from London. "My hair and makeup team, whom I work very closely with, came in with big smiles and told me the news, and they were so excited. Then, when I came out, my son gave me a hug. It was very moving to me that the people around me were so happy."

This is not the first time that the 49-year-old actress has received a Golden Globe nomination. In fact, this marks her ninth nomination. Over the years, she has won three awards, including twice for Best Supporting Actress for Girl, Interrupted and George Wallace, and once for Best Actress in a Made-for-TV Movie for Gia, a biopic about supermodel Gia Carangi. This January, she could claim her fourth win for Best Actress in a Drama. “Of course, it always means a lot,” she says. “Especially when you've worked hard on something. Most of all, you want your work to resonate with the audience. That is everything. But, of course, it means a lot to be acknowledged by your community.”

Jolie is nominated for her portrayal of the legendary Greek opera singer Maria Callas in the dramatic biopic Maria, directed by Pablo Larraín. Larraín is also behind biopics on other iconic 20th-century women: Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana, portrayed in Jackie and Spencer, respectively. Maria is seen as the final installment in this trilogy.

Set in 1977 in Paris, Maria depicts the final days of Callas’ life when, at 53, her voice has faded, and her health is deteriorating. The narrative is partially driven by an interview with a young reporter, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee. “I think the beauty of the script was that it centered around Maria,” Jolie explains. “Because there is Callas, and there is Maria. The core of this story is Maria.”

Through the fictional journalist – named Mandrax after one of the sedatives Callas was known to take – we learn about the highs and lows of her life, including her tumultuous relationship with Greek magnate Aristotle Onassis, and her rise to fame as a singer. The film portrays how Callas had to put on a stoic act and summon the courage and strength to craft her historic career. “What makes her extraordinary is that she wasn’t that strong,” says Jolie. “She was vulnerable. She was often sick, lonely, and emotional. The more I learned about her, the more I respected how much it took for her to be the icon we know, because it wasn’t easy for her.”

The film also features a scene where Callas has an encounter with President John F. Kennedy. During a breakfast meeting, Callas warns him about Aristotle Onassis, who later married Jackie Kennedy after JFK’s assassination in 1963. The role of Kennedy is played by Danish actor Caspar Phillipson, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the late president and also portrayed him in Larraín’s Jackie. Phillipson has now played JFK in six films.

“He’s a lovely person, and he was wonderful to work with,” Jolie says, recalling Phillipson’s confident portrayal of Kennedy. “He did a subtle thing. But it was so interesting in terms of character creation. He sat down, reached over, and ate my blueberries. It might sound like a small gesture, but there’s something so confident and fitting about the idea that someone would dare that and feel comfortable enough to say, ‘I’m the president, and I can do this.’”

For Jolie, playing Callas was not without its doubts, especially when it came to learning opera singing for the role (her own voice was mixed with Callas’ for the film). “It was terrifying,” she admits. “The whole process was. But what an incredible experience, finding something so challenging in my career at this stage of my life, where I’m terrified as an artist.”