Angelina Jolie Taking an Acting Break

Acting Hiatus

Angelina Jolie has worked hard, putting in many memorable movie roles over the years and growing to A-list status. With a shift in focus from career to motherhood, Jolie decided that some dedicated family time was in order. Her mother’s death in January 2007 from cancer gave Jolie a reason to re-evaluate her priorities; the actress recently said in a Today show interview, "I want to be a great mom like my mom was. And I also want to do things that I love."

Family Life

Angelina Jolie is very focused on her family, which now includes Maddox, 5, Pax Thien, 3, Zahara, 2, and Shiloh, 1. Jolie plans to work through the summer, take two months off, then work for an additional two months before her one-year hiatus. The time off will provide some much-needed time with her family, as Jolie commented, "I'm hanging on to my family really tight at this moment, and because of that, trying to be as good a woman as I can be in my life."

Quashing Rumors

With the persistent rumors surrounding Jolie – about her weight, international adoptions and relationship with Brad Pitt – she has developed a thick skin. In response to all of the gossip, Jolie says, “There are going to be times when people want to try to attack me and I don't know why, but they will. And that's OK.”