The trajectory of Angelina Jolie’s life has rarely followed the sanitized, linear path often demanded of Hollywood icons. Her narrative is one defined by sharp turns, profound reinventions, and an unyielding commitment to her own truth. In recent years, as the dust of a high-profile legal battle begins to settle, a renewed focus has emerged regarding her personal identity—specifically her sexuality.

Yet, to characterize this as a sudden “coming out” is to ignore the fearless transparency that defined the early years of her career. Long before she became a global symbol of domesticity as one half of the media-concocted “Brangelina,” Jolie was famously and unapologetically candid about her capacity to love both men and women.In the mid-1990s, Jolie captivated the public not just with her performances, but with her raw honesty regarding her attraction to her Foxfire co-star, the model and actress Jenny Shimizu. Jolie spoke openly about the electric, undeniable pull she felt toward Shimizu, famously remarking that she likely would have married her had she not met her first husband. For Jolie, sexuality was never a label to be hidden; it was an integral part of her human experience. However, as her life shifted into the stratosphere of A-list superstardom and she entered her decade-long partnership with Brad Pitt, that facet of her identity seemed to recede from the public eye.