Angelina Jolie reflects on family cancer history before ‘Couture’ premiere

Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie recently brought a powerful message of hope and seizing life to the Toronto International Film Festival. Ahead of the world premiere of her new film, "Couture," on Sunday, September 8, she opened up about her family's significant history with cancer.

Stepping onto the red carpet, Jolie, now 50, candidly shared, "My mother and grandmother by this age were in chemo." She emphasized a philosophy of embracing life, stating, "We all have these things we worry about or people we love. And it’s either going to make us slow down and almost feel we can’t move, take a step, or we’re going to make the most of this life before it’s over."

Her personal journey with cancer prevention is well-documented. In 2013, Jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy after discovering she had a high genetic risk of breast cancer. A key motivation for this decision was to reassure her six children that she would not succumb to the disease at a young age, unlike her mother, who passed away at 56.

Jolie expressed her hope that sharing her story would empower other women battling similar health challenges. Her co-star, Ella Rumpf, also highlighted Jolie's profound connection to the film's themes, noting, "She has a personal connection to the subject of illness and what that does to a body and being confronted to that." "Couture" itself tells the story of an American film director navigating the Parisian fashion world amidst a serious medical diagnosis and a divorce.