Opera isn’t exactly known for its half measures. So when Angelina Jolie took on the role of Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s latest film, she had to go all in—but does that mean that was really her singing in Maria?
Related: How Did Maria Callas Die? What the Movie Didn’t Reveal About Her Death…
Maria follows one of opera’s greatest stars in her final days in 1977 Paris, as she reflects on her legendary career and attempts to reclaim her voice one last time. For director Larraín, capturing the essence of Callas meant his star would need to do more than just look the part. “You have to learn how to sing opera, or I will be able to tell when we are close on your face, because it’s who she is,” he told Jolie, as she recounted to Netflix‘s Tudum. But according to Jolie, she could only sing “a little”—and her skills would soon be put to the test.
Is that actually Angelina Jolie singing in Maria?
Image: Courtesy of Netflix/Getty Images.Getty Images/Netflix
Yes, that’s really Angelina Jolie singing in Maria—but with a bit of a twist. What audiences hear in Maria is actually a blend of two voices: Jolie’s live performances mixed with Callas’s archival recordings. But don’t credit Jolie’s delivery entirely to the magic of editing; the Maleficent star still had to deliver authentic opera performances throughout filming. As Larraín revealed in the film’s press notes, “There isn’t a miracle kind of technology here.” Instead, Jolie often found herself singing without any backing track in front of hundreds of extras and crew members.
The transformation required nearly seven months of intensive training before filming even began. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the complex Italian arias that proved most challenging at first—it was the basics. “The first few weeks were the hardest because my body had to open and I had to breathe again,” Jolie told the Associated Press, describing her discovery of just how much she “wasn’t” breathing properly before.
This physical reawakening came with its share of vulnerable moments. One particularly nerve-wracking instance had Jolie’s sons helping her to lock the door during her first singing attempt, as she shared with Variety. But Larraín knew exactly how to build his star’s confidence. “Pablo, in his decency, started me in a small room and ended me in La Scala,” she explained, referencing Milan’s legendary opera house where some of the film’s most dramatic scenes take place.
The work didn’t stop once cameras started rolling. Between takes, Jolie continued her vocal journey. “Pablo had a coach with me the entirety of the film and classes nightly after shooting,” she revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. Those sessions helped her tackle selections from iconic operas like Carmen, Tosca, and Norma—pieces that demand not just technical precision but also tons of emotional depth.
This emotional component turned out to be the key to Jolie’s approach. “When opera singers express pain, it’s not like a little bit, it’s the biggest depth,” she explained to Tudum. “It requires everything that you’ve got… your full body… as open and as loud, in as big a voice as you can possibly do.”
Rather than seeing herself as simply portraying Callas, Jolie developed a unique perspective on her relationship with the legendary diva. “She’s the partner in this film with me,” she shared in the film’s press notes. “She and I are doing this together.”
The film marks the completion of Larraín’s trilogy of films about iconic women, following Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). Maria is now streaming on Netflix.
