Throughout her career, Angelina Jolie did her best to avoid questions about walking in her dad's footsteps. It was clearly something that made the actress uncomfortable, and she didn't think about it too much.
Jolie revealed, "I think it's probably healthy not to put too much thought into that. It's an interesting thing, because I think we speak to each other a lot through our work. You don't really know your parents in a certain way, and they don't really know you. Like, you know, he met my husband and we'd go to dinner, but he still had his opinion of me as his daughter."
In truth, Jolie shared a closer relationship to her mother. We'll reveal what that dynamic was like, and why Jon Voight was not extended an invite to Jolie and Brad Pitt's wedding. We'll also reveal how the two managed to gain closeness back after many years.
Angelina Jolie Had A Close Relationship With Her Mom Growing Up, But The Same Didn't Hold True With Her Dad
Looking back at her youth, Angelina Jolie has fond memories of the time spent with her late mother, especially given that they held a relationship that was similar to close friends.
Speaking with E News, Jolie detailed her experience growing up with her mom.
"My mom always made it clear that I was her friend—and that is a lesson on how to bring up my own children. When we talked, I felt she wanted to hear what I had to say. She enjoyed me and I feel I'm enjoying my kids." She concluded, "If anybody ever tells me that I am a mother to them like my mom was to me, it will be a great compliment."
Jolie also loved what a natural beauty her mother was, something she clearly also followed in her later years.
As for her relationship with her dad, things took a different turn. The two were not as close, while Jolie also decided to enter Hollywood without his last name.
"I did not want to be Voight, as an actress, because people would react to the name. Dad always used to apologize, when I was young, for the fact that articles described me as 'Jon Voight's daughter. I didn't feel that close to my father. I felt more of my mother's daughter when I was a child. So that was one part of it."
The lack of closeness between the two followed in the later years, and was evident during Jolie's wedding to Brad Pitt.
Jon Voight Wasn't Invited To The Jolie/Pitt Wedding, But He Wouldn't Have Been Went Anyway Because Of His Schedule
Jon Voight was not on the guest list for Brad and Angelina's wedding. In fact, he hadn't even found out about the wedding ceremony until only a few days prior after reading about in the press.
Voight did make brief comments on the wedding, congratulating his daughter. However, he would go on to reveal that even if he got an invite, he was obligated to be elsewhere on the particular weekend.
"It seems like it was very nice – and with all of the kids involved, it must have been a lot of fun and very beautiful. I'm happy for them."
He continues, "I haven't spoken [to them since they got married]. No, I didn’t know it was happening – it was Emmys week, so I wasn’t able to go."
Clearly, Voight did his best to downplay the situation, while not stirring things even further. It would appear as though Jon would gain a bit more closeness to his daughter after she separated from Pitt.
Angelina Jolie Repaired The Relationship With Her Dad Following Her Divorce From Brad Pitt
Back in May of 2017, Voight was spotted eating with Angelina and the kids, signaling that the relationship was repaired. Jolie would comment on the matter, mentioning that her dad was aware he needed to be there as a grandfather to the children.
"He's been very good at understanding they needed their grandfather at this time. I had to do a therapy meeting last night and he was just around. He knows kind of the rule—don't make them play with you. Just be a cool grandpa who's creative, and hang out and tell stories and read a book in the library."
Voight himself has also been singing the praises of his daughter, especially given the way her career turned out.
"I'm proud of the way they've turned out. Angelina has to deal with fame in a way I never had to. She once said that she learned a lot about acting by noticing how I would observe people in everyday life in order to become like them. I'm fascinated by people."
Despite the obvious influence Voight had on Jolie's career, she clearly forged her own path to the top of Hollywood.
