Jolie: Maddox needs to understand who he is

Angelina Jolie thinks it’s an important time for her son Maddox to learn about his heritage.

The Unbroken director has six children with husband Brad Pitt, with eldest child Maddox set to turn 14 next month. Angelina adopted him from a Cambodian orphanage when he was just seven months old in 2002 and now mother and son will work together on a new film for Netflix called First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers.

“As Maddox and I prepare the film we will be side by side learning about his country. He is turning 14 next week and this is a very important time for him to understand who he is,” she explained in an email interview with the Associated Press. “He is my son but he is also a son of Cambodia. This is the time for our family to understand all that that means to him and to us.”

The 40-year-old also has adopted children Zahara, ten, from Ethiopia and Pax, 11 from Vietnam as well as biological children Shiloh, nine, and seven-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

The family travel the world together, whether it’s for their famous parents’ film roles or to support Angelina in her humanitarian work. While the children lead a privileged life, the actress makes sure that neither she nor her offspring forget where they came from or how important it is to respect other cultures.

“My desire to tell this story in the most truthful and accurate way possible will be my tribute to the strength and dignity of all Cambodian people,” she continued. “Maddox will be on set every day after school and involved behind the scenes. And yes, Maddox is already involved in the [Jolie-Pitt] Foundation and will take over my role when he is older.”