Angelina Jolie says she hasn't felt 'free' or 'safe' in years

Angelina Jolie seems like a woman who is always brimming with security and confidence but, as we all know, things are usually more complicated than they appear.

She revealed more than usual in a new interview to promote her upcoming movie, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

“I think Maleficent is wild. I think there is that thing in all of us that is just not safe and not fine, that wants to just have fun and be our best self,” Jolie told with E! News.

“There have been times in my life where I have felt — and maybe I’ve hidden them well from the public —where I have not felt free, I have not felt safe, I have not felt like free of harm. I have felt small. I have felt cornered. And it has taken a lot to find that again, probably more of that today than I was in the last four years.”

Jolie filed for divorce from actor Brad Pitt in September 2016, following an incident on a private plane, in which Pitt and their eldest child, 18-year-old son Maddox, argued. Pitt was investigated for child abuse, although the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star was eventually cleared. Jolie and Pitt have continued to fight over custody of their six children, who also include Pax, 15; Zahara, 14; Shiloh, 13; and 11-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

The Oscar-winning actress also offered her take on love.

“The real truest love pulls out your best self,” Jolie said. “It’s what you value, what you’re loyal to and what you’re willing to fight for. So I think that truest love does that, and I think for Maleficent — it’s the surprise that she didn’t realise that she had it in her.”

Pitt referred to the couple’s breakup just last week in an interview he did with NPR. He was speaking about his latest blockbuster, Ad Astra, which examines a father-son relationship, and whether he had intended to probe his personal life in his work.

Read more: Pitt reveals alcoholism battle

“I would be exploring it whether there was a script that allowed that or not,” Pitt said. “A breakup of a family is certainly an eye-opener that as one — and I’m speaking in general again — but as one needs to understand, I had to understand my own culpability in that, and what can I do better. Because I don’t want to go on like this.”

Jolie brought her five younger children with her to the red carpet premiere of her Disney sequel in Los Angeles.

Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil is in cinemas 18 October.