Paychecks don’t always work as a driving force for stars. Ask Angelina Jolie, who received a staggering $7M salary for her appearance in the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. For the actress, it wasn’t the money she received but the experience she bagged from her role that turned the movie into a rewarding journey of her life and career.
But most importantly, for Angelina Jolie, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider holds a different and more intimate place in her heart, because it brought her close to Maddox. According to Jolie, this 2001 movie is the reason she was able to adopt her son from Cambodia, where they shot a majority of the film.
Not the salary, but the rewarding experience of filming Lara Croft changed Angelina Jolie’s life
While Hollywood A-listers are often known for signing up for movies that come with hefty paychecks, Angelina Jolie had a different agenda when it came to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. She undoubtedly earned a jaw-dropping $7M salary for playing the titular character, the fearless archaeologist in the 2001 movie, but that wasn’t the best part.
For Angelina Jolie, the real treasure was something far more personal and life-changing. Considering how the actress is known for her rebellious spirit and edgy roles, the 2001 movie allowed her to tap into both. As the film required more than just acting chops—it needed extreme physical training—Jolie claimed to appreciate the extremities.
Jolie told Cinema,
They had me on bunjis. I’m dog sledding. They had me up at seven each morning and handed me a protein shake. Suddenly, a nutritionist was giving me five meals a day.
But you had to do these things to maintain your energy. And I liked the intense training because there is only one way to do something and for me, it’s in extremes.
Although Angelina Jolie had to master the art of doing her own stunts and pushing her body and mind to new limits, she claimed to have appreciated the process of transforming herself into the famous video game character. Training for months, and enjoying every bit of it, Jolie claimed to have found out what she was capable of while filming and even managed to exceed her own expectations.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider allowed Angelina Jolie to visit Cambodia, where she adopted Maddox
Meanwhile, beyond the action-packed sequences and Hollywood glitz, Angelina Jolie found herself deeply impacted by something else—the filming location. Since a huge part of the film was shot in Cambodia, Jolie revealed how traveling to breathtaking landscapes with a painful history transformed her life.
Connecting with the people not just as tourists—because they were working with the locals—Angelina Jolie mentioned having a cathartic experience (via Live Journal). The actress revealed how the movie opened her eyes to humanitarian work, something that would go on to define her life just as much as her acting career.
The funniest and probably the truest example is Lara Croft: Tomb Raider because it was about other countries… So it got me healthy and let me travel to Cambodia. Cambodia changed my life.
So in working with local people, you learn about these countries not just as a tourist. But I would say that Cambodia was the most significant one. Learning about land mines and refugees and the history of a country I knew very little about changed me and made me start to question.
But more than anything, filming Tomb Raider in Cambodia gave her the greatest gift of all—her son, Maddox. When Angelina Jolie stepped into the country for the filming, she had no idea that the trip would lead her to motherhood. But falling in love with the country’s beauty and culture, while learning about its people, especially children, led her to adoption.
As per People, Angelina Jolie went on to adopt Maddox in early 2002, when he was just seven months old. She later shared in interviews that the connection she felt with him was instant. Thereafter, Maddox’s adoption marked the beginning of Jolie’s journey as a humanitarian and a devoted mother.
So, while Lara Croft: Tomb Raider may have made Angelina Jolie a global action star, its real impact went far beyond the box office. For the actress, the film became a truly life-changing experience.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is currently available to watch on Netflix.
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