Diva Therapy: Playing Maria Callas Helped Angelina Jolie Find Her Voice Again

Angelina Jolie says playing Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín's "Maria" was a therapeutic experience that helped her find her voice again.

"I think for most people, and maybe especially women, I think to get to a point in your life where you really try to know your voice and make sure you – it was a rediscovery of finding my voice," said Jolie, after posing for photos with her director at the BFI London Film Festival premiere of the film, Friday.

"I didn't know I could sing. And I hadn't – I hadn't expressed things loudly and openly for for a while. So it was quite therapeutic. And it's something that I think it's important for many people to make sure they haven't lost their voice at different times in their life and to try to find it in one way or another. So this is what helped me with her and her voice she helped me and it helped me to learn about the discipline."

The film, about famed opera singer Maria Callas, focuses on the final week of her life in 1977, in Paris. She is deeply isolated, with only her butler, played by Pierfrancesco Favino, and housemaid, played by Alba Rohrwacher, looking after her – concerned about her health, the drugs and the devastating ripple effects of her diminished voice.

Jolie said she trusted her director to be respectful of his subject.

"I knew he wasn't coming at it to just use her for a film, I knew he was coming at it out of a deep respect and love, so I felt she was in safe hands with this director," she said. "I think the intention of this piece was for people to know her a little bit better and feel for her, so I think we did that."

Larraín said he approached Jolie about the starring role before the script was written.

"Sometimes there are very specific projects that really belong to certain actors, that's my experience with this film, I don't know what would have happened if she said no, but that's not what happened," he said. "I found a very determined, disciplined actress, took it very seriously, did a very extensive preparation so it's very beautiful, I'm very proud of her."

The singing in the film is a blend of actor and the real thing - Jolie trained for months to prepare.

With her performance wrapped, Jolie says she still sings - for herself.

"I only sing opera. It's actually true. I don't sing anything - I don't know how to sing anything else. So yeah, I do sing opera, though, when I'm alone now."