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NEED TO KNOW
Angelina Jolie reveals why she's showing her mastectomy scars for the first time
The award-winning actress underwent a double mastectomy in 2013 after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer
"I share these scars with many women I love," Jolie said
Angelina Joliepublicly showed her mastectomy scars in a new interview.
The Oscar winner, 50, toldTIME Francewhy she is now showing the world the results of her double mastectomy more than a decade after she underwent the preventive procedure in 2013.
"I share these scars with many women I love," she told the magazine. "And I'm always moved when I see other women share theirs."
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TheMariaactress added, "I wanted to join them, knowing thatTIME Francewould be sharing information about breast health, prevention, and knowledge about breast cancer."
Jolie's mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand,died at age 56in 2007 after being diagnosed with cancer. In a May 2013New York Timesop-ed piececalled "My Medical Choice," Jolie said doctors told her tests found she had a "faulty gene," BRCA1, which significantly increased her risk of breast cancer.
"I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy,"Jolie wrote in 2013. "But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."
In March 2015, Jolie said she also had her ovaries and fallopian tubesremoved as a preventive measure against developing ovarian cancer.
In the new interview, Jolie advocated formaking BRCA screenings availableto every woman.
"Every woman should always be able to determine her own healthcare journey and have the information she needs to make informed choices: genetic testing and screening should be accessible and affordable for women with clear risk factors or a significant family history," Jolie toldTIME France.
"When I shared my experience in 2013, it was to encourage informed choices," the actress continued. "Healthcare decisions must be personal, and women must have the information and support they need to make those choices. Access to screening and care should not depend on financial resources or where someone lives."
Jolie stars in the upcoming Alice Winocour-directed filmCouture, set to be released in France in February 2026. In the "very personal story," she plays Maxine Walker, an American filmmaker diagnosed with breast cancer.
Jolie toldTIME Francethat she's "always admired Alice's work," calling her "a brilliant director" with a "unique" approach to illness.
"Too often, films about women's struggles — especially cancer — talk about endings and sadness, rarely about life," theMaleficentactress said.
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She added that the French screenwriter and director handledCouture's sensitive subjects "with such delicacy."
"Hardships, illnesses, and pain are part of our existence, but what matters is how we face them," she said.
"My mother was ill for years. One evening, when she was being asked about her chemotherapy, she became very emotional and told me she would have preferred to talk about something else; she felt as though the illness was becoming her entire identity," she continued.
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"I love this film because it tells a story that goes far beyond the journey of a sick person: it shows life. It was this luminous perspective that touched me and made me want to play this role," Jolie said.
The full interview, with photos of Jolie's double mastectomy scars, will appear in the first issue ofTIME France, available on Dec. 18.
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