Angelina Jolie, a Hollywood star, announced that she and her eldest son Maddox have obtained their pilot licenses. Jolie appeared on the December 5th (local time) episode of the late-night talk show “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”. During the show, Fallon mentioned rumors about jobs she might have had and asked if she studied to become a funeral director before acting. Jolie confirmed this, recalling her thoughts after her grandfather’s funeral: “Funerals shouldn’t be like this. They should celebrate life,” and that her lack of fear of death made her consider the profession.
Fallon then asked if she was considering becoming a pilot, to which Jolie replied, “Yes, I am a pilot. My son Maddox is also training to become a pilot—actually, he already is one.” Although Jolie didn’t explain why she got her pilot’s license, the entertainment media outlet People reported that Maddox inspired her to take to the skies. Jolie began flying in 2004 to impress then 3-year-old Maddox.
In a past interview with People, Jolie shared that Maddox admired every plane he saw and stated, “If I can actually pilot a plane before Maddox turns four, I’ll become a hero in his eyes.” She obtained her pilot’s license in December 2004 and bought a single-engine light aircraft, Cirrus SR22-G2, in early 2005.
On a personal note, Jolie divorced her ex-husband Brad Pitt in 2019, claiming he had physically and emotionally abused her and their children before the divorce. They have six children: Maddox (23), Pax (20), Zahara (19), Shiloh (18), and twins Vivienne and Knox (16), who all reportedly live with Jolie and do not have contact with Pitt. Maddox, whom Jolie adopted from Cambodia before marrying Pitt, has a noted interest in Korean culture and made headlines when he enrolled at Yonsei University’s Underwood International College (UIC) in 2019. It is not publicly known if he completed his studies there.