Angelina Jolie became visibly emotional at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival as she recounted her late mother’s decade-long struggle with cancer and responded to an audience member who had recently lost a friend to the disease.
The Oscar winner, 50, starred in Couture, a drama that debuted at the festival in which her character is diagnosed with cancer as she arrives at Paris Fashion Week. During a question-and-answer session after the screening, an audience member asked Jolie for advice "to anyone who recently lost someone" to cancer. Jolie covered her mouth and dabbed at her eyes as she spoke about her own loss and offered counsel.
"I’m very sorry for your loss," Jolie said, according to video shared by Entertainment Weekly, and recounted something her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, told people when she had cancer: "All people ever ask me about is cancer." Jolie added, "I would say, if you know someone who’s going through something, ask them about everything else in their life as well. They’re a whole person. And they’re still living."
Bertrand died in 2007 at age 56 after a decade-long battle with breast and ovarian cancer. Jolie has spoken publicly about the impact of her mother's illness on her own life and choices. After testing positive for a BRCA1 gene mutation, Jolie underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction in 2013 and a complete hysterectomy in 2010 after completing her family, decisions she has said were precautionary.
Medical professionals and advocacy groups have credited Jolie’s openness with raising public awareness about genetic testing and preventive options. In a 2018 essay for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Jay Orringer said he had seen women whose lives were likely saved because of what has been called the "Angelina Jolie effect." The essay referenced broader public-health conversations that followed Jolie’s disclosures about her surgeries.
Jolie has previously reflected on her mother’s influence on her career. In February, when she received the Maltin Modern Master Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, Jolie said Bertrand had stepped away from acting in the early 1980s and supported Jolie’s creative life in other ways, including writing imaginary letters to some of her daughter’s characters. "Dear Gia, Dear Lisa Rowe, Dear Lara Croft," Jolie recalled Bertrand writing, referring to roles from her early career.
Speaking at TIFF about her portrayal of opera singer Maria Callas in another recent film, Jolie said she imagined what her mother might have written to that character. Her voice wavered as she said, "I would be absolutely nothing without mine. She passed away many years ago at this time of year, so it’s always this weather that reminds me of her."
Couture’s premiere marks another stop in Jolie’s recent festival appearances; a release date for the film has not been announced. The actress and filmmaker, a mother of six, has mixed acting with directing and advocacy work throughout her career and has frequently discussed how personal experiences have shaped her public statements and artistic choices.
The exchange at TIFF underscores a recurring theme in conversations about celebrity and illness: the ways public figures can influence awareness and how private grief resurfaces in public settings. Jolie’s remarks drew immediate sympathy from the audience and support from colleagues, including director Alice Winocour and co-star Anyier Anei, who comforted her during the Q&A.
Onscreen and off, Jolie’s engagement with the subject of cancer and loss continues to prompt discussion about how friends, family and the public respond to people facing illness — and how remembering those lost factors into creative work and advocacy.