Angelina Jolie reveals how son Maddox is following her footsteps

Originally appeared on E! Online

Angelina Jolie’s eldest son Maddox is soaring into a surprising career.

The “Maria” actress — who shares Maddox, 23, as well as his siblings Pax, 21, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18 and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16, with ex Brad Pitt, revealed his career is flying in a familiar direction.

“Maddox is training to be a pilot, too,” Jolie shared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Dec. 5 after explaining that she, too, is a licensed pilot. “He actually is a pilot now.”

In fact, the mother of six previously revealed that it was her oldest that initially pulled her into piloting 20 years ago.

“Every time Mad sees a plane, he’s amazed,” the 49-year-old recalled thinking in a 2018 interview with People. “If I could actually fly a plane by the time he’s 4, I’ll be like Superman to him.”

And fast forward more than a decade later, he was putting his love of flying into action. 

PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s kids through the years

“He’s quite capable and always takes me by surprise,” she continued. “He’s been practicing flying, then they called me the other day and said, ‘so Mad can go solo,’ and I nearly dropped the phone!”

After all, the “Maleficent” star has shared insight into her children’s desire to be in the spotlight — there is none.

“None of my children want to be in front of the camera at this time,” she said on a recent episode of “Good Morning America.” “They’re quite private.”

“They weren’t born with privacy,” she noted. “I hope they can have that as they grow.”

But while her kids aren’t in search of fame, they weren’t shy in pursuing their own creative endeavors. Her two oldest kids, Maddox and Pax, worked on Jolies’ film “Maria” assisting director Pablo Larrain, and her daughter Vivienne has shown quite an interest in theatre. Her 16-year-old daughter was even credited in Broadway’s “The Outsiders” musical’s Playbill for assisting her mom in producing the show.

“Viv reminds me of my mother in that she isn’t focused on being the center of attention but in being a support to other creatives,” Jolie told E! News in August 2023, referring to her late mom Marcheline Bertrand. “She’s very thoughtful and serious about theatre and working hard to best understand how to contribute.”

And luckily, Jolie saw this partnership with her daughter as a special passion project, bringing her back to the early days of her career.

“I feel very fortunate to be a part of this special production,” the Oscar winner told Deadline last August, eight months before the show officially opened on Broadway. “I studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute where I realized my first love, as a performer, was the theatre.”

“I had not found a way back until now,” she added. “I hope to be able to contribute while continuing to learn from this amazing team, who I have been working with since my daughter brought me to see the show at La Jolla Playhouse.”