Angelina Jolie Is So Beautiful, Audiences "Overlook" Her Talent, Famous Director Said
Avery Gonzales
Updated on February 23, 2026
Angelina Jolie has been a Hollywood A-lister for years, appeared in over 40 movies, and won one of two Academy Awards she's been nominated for. But, one famous director who worked with the star once said that he felt her looks were holding her back. Clint Eastwood and Jolie collaborated on the 2008 movie, Changeling, and while the director had nothing but positive things to say about the star, he did admit that he thought her beauty "hampered" her career. Read on to find out why.
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Jolie starred in one of Eastwood's films.
In 2008, Jolie starred in Changeling, which is based on a true story. The actor played Christine Collins, whose young son goes missing in 1928. Later, when she finds out that the boy who claimed to be her returned child isn't actually him, she's sent to a psychiatric hospital for being an unfit mother. Jolie received nominations for Best Actress at the Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and more.
Eastwood said that Jolie's talent was being overlooked.
Jolie went on to receive critical acclaim for her work in Changeling, but ahead of its release, Eastwood said that Jolie's talent was under-appreciated.
Eastwood called her "an actress hampered by her gorgeous face, I think the most beautiful face on the planet," speaking to Us Weekly (via The Sydney Morning Herald). "People sometimes can't see past that, to her talent. She's on all these magazine covers, so it's easy to overlook what an amazing actress is underneath."
At the time, Jolie was making even more headlines than usual, given that she was three years into her relationship with Brad Pitt and that they had welcomed twins Knox and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt three months prior to the film's theatrical release.
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He compared her to another big star.
Eastwood made a comparison between Jolie and Meryl Streep.
"Actors know, with me they aren't going to be allowed to rehearse a scene for a couple of hours and then get away with doing 25 takes before we get it right. So they come with their full bag of tricks," he said. "Angelina is a lot like Meryl Streep in that respect."
She thought highly of him, too.
Around the same time, Jolie and Eastwood attended the Hollywood Film Festival Gala, and she talked about how much she enjoyed working with him.
"There are some people in this business that are icons, and we often wonder if, when we meet them, they'll live up to what we imagine them to be," Jolie said, as reported by Just Jared. "And Clint Eastwood in person is even better … Clint is what every great director should be. He is a great leader. And I certainly would follow him anywhere."
At the event, Eastwood echoed his previous words about Jolie. "Working with someone like Angelina Jolie is a great privilege, because you get to look on that gorgeous beauty every day," he said. "And she's a great talent."
Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled UnderCelebrities • Entertainment • NewsRead This NextThe Latest on Brad's Lawsuit Against Angelina
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