Angelina Jolie Talks Candidly About Mastectomy, Promotes Breast Cancer Awareness

JAKARTA - Angelina Jolie has publicly shown her mastectomy scars in a recent interview. The 50-year-old Oscar-winning actress told TIME France that she now shows the results of a double mastectomy that she underwent more than a decade ago, in 2013.

"I share this container with many women I love," she told the magazine, quoted from the People's website.

"And I'm always touched when I see other women sharing their scars. I want to join them, knowing that TIME France will share information about breast health, prevention, and knowledge about breast cancer," he added.

Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died at age 56 in 2007 after being diagnosed with cancer. In a New York Times opinion piece in May 2013 titled "My Medical Choice," Jolie explained that doctors said tests showed she had a "defective gene," BRCA1, which significantly increases the risk of breast cancer.

"I wanted to write this to let other women know that the decision to have a mastectomy was not an easy one," Jolie wrote in 2013.

"But this is a decision I am very grateful for. My chance of getting breast cancer dropped from 87 percent to less than 5 percent. I can reassure my children that they don't have to fear losing me to breast cancer," he added.

In March 2015, Jolie also underwent an oophorectomy and tubal ligation as a preventive measure against ovarian cancer.

In a recent interview, Jolie pushed for BRCA testing to be available to all women.

"Every woman should always be able to determine her own health journey and have the information they need to make the right decisions: genetic testing and screening should be accessible and affordable for women with clear risk factors or a significant family history," Jolie told TIME France.

"When I shared my experience in 2013, it was to encourage the right choice. Health decisions should be personal, and women should have the information and support they need to make those decisions. Access to screening and treatment should not depend on a person's financial condition or place of residence," he added.

Jolie will star in Alice Winocour's latest film, "Couture," which is scheduled to be released in France in February 2026. In this "very personal story," she plays Maxine Walker, an American director diagnosed with breast cancer.

Jolie told TIME France that she had always admired Alice's work. He called her a brilliant director with a unique approach to the disease.

"Too often, films about women's struggles, especially cancer, only talk about endings and sadness, rarely about life," said the actress.

He added that the French-born screenwriter and director handled the sensitive theme of Coutured with great care.

"Difficulties, diseases, and pain are part of our lives, but what is important is how we face them," he said.

"My mother has been ill for years. One night, when she was asked about her chemotherapy, she was very emotional and said that she would rather talk about something else; she felt that the disease was beginning to define her whole being," he continued.

Jolie admitted that she liked this film because it told a story that went far beyond the journey of a patient. For him, this film shows life.

"It's this perspective of full light that touches me and makes me want to play this role." he said.