It sometimes feels as though Hollywood and Washington DC are two centres of power that are converging more and more. Ever since the actor Ronald Reagan managed to become president, more and more Hollywood actors have been making forays into politics, and what's even more remarkable is that they seem to be succeeding - using their existing popularity as a boost to help them gain more and more votes.
Just think about Terminator and Predator star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Who would have thought back in the 80s that a buff Austrian action hero would go on to become the governor of the state of California? Now our current president is a reality TV star, and even wrestler Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has talked about running for president in 2020.
However, now Angelina Jolie has opened up about her own political aspirations. After separating from her husband Brad Pitt, many have expected the actress and UN ambassador to play a more active part in current politics, and as an active campaigner on issues including refugees, sexual violence and conservation, many think that she might be a capable stateswoman if given the opportunity.
In a recent interview with presenter Justin Webb on the BBC's Today programme, Jolie talked about a wide range of topics, and responded when Webb asked her if she would ever consider running as a potential candidate in the future. The Oscar-award-winning actress stated:
"If you asked me 20 years ago I would’ve laughed. I really don’t know. I always say I’ll go where I’m needed. I don’t know if I’m fit for politics with … but then I’ve also joked that I don’t know if I have a skeleton left in my closet. So I’m pretty open and out there. I can take a lot on the chin so that’s good. But I honestly will do whatever I think can really make change."
She added: "Right now I am able to work with a UN agency … to do a lot of work directly with the people in need. I’m also able to work with governments … so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done, without a title and without it being about myself or my policies. So for now I’ll sit quiet."
Jolie, who had several adopted children with Pitt, also expressed concern about the nature of the content that minors are exposed to on social media, claiming: "There are certain realities to teenagers and also our generation doesn't understand half of what they are doing with their tech so they can get around us pretty easy."
So it seems as though Jolie isn't making definite plans at the moment, but is at least open to the possibility. That's pretty cool, although I think that having Lara Croft as president of the US might take some getting used to, don't you think?
