Angelina Jolie says she doesn’t recognize the US, urges careful speech while promoting Couture at 2025 SSIFF

At the 2025 San Sebastián International Film Festival, Angelina Jolie promoted her new film Couture during a Sunday press conference, while weighing in on the political climate in the United States. Jolie told reporters she loves her country but, at this moment, does not recognize it. "I have to say that I love my country and I don’t, at this time, recognize my country," The Hollywood Reporter quoted Jolie as saying. She noted she has always lived internationally and has an international family, citing her and ex-husband Brad Pitt’s adopted children from Namibia, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Cambodia.

"My life, my world view, is equal [and] united," Jolie said, adding that "anything, anywhere that divides or limits personal expressions and freedoms [for anyone] I think is very dangerous." She stressed she would be careful about what she said at the press conference, noting that "these are such serious times" and adding that she has "always lived internationally. My family is international." Jolie emphasized that she would be careful with what she said, and she acknowledged that the moment calls for restraint.

Jolie’s remarks at SSIFF come as the entertainment industry contends with a climate in which public figures weigh in on politics and face backlash from various corners. While at the festival to promote Couture, she reiterated the importance of protecting free expression and personal freedoms across borders. The actress, who has long balanced a career in Hollywood with humanitarian and international work, underscored that any place that divides or limits these freedoms is dangerous. "But these are very, very heavy times," Jolie concluded, signaling caution in her public remarks during a season of heightened political contention.

In parallel conversations around politics and media, other public figures have faced repercussions for political commentary. In a separate development, ABC temporarily pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! after his remarks about the death of Charlie Kirk during a recent appearance. Kimmel apologized and offered to donate to Kirk’s family and Turning Point USA to return to the air. The episode highlighted the ongoing challenge for celebrities and talk-show hosts in balancing free expression with public accountability.

Jolie’s comments reflect a broader tension in Culture & Entertainment: a push for international perspective and humanitarian values alongside a domestic political landscape that some artists say constrains personal expression. As Couture debuts, Jolie’s statements reinforce her stance that global viewpoints, rather than national divides, shape her worldview and the roles she chooses to take on the screen and beyond.