Angelina Jolie Says 'Nothing Else Matters' to Her Except for Motherhood: 'You Can Take Everything Else Away'
The actress shares her six kids — Maddox, 23 Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16 — with ex Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie is a mom, first and foremost.
Sitting down with Michael Strahan for an interview on Good Morning America to discuss her new film Maria, the actress and mom of six, 49, shared that for her, motherhood is the main focus of her life — much like singing was for Maria Callas, whom Jolie plays in her new movie.
"It's my happiness," Jolie said of motherhood. "You can take everything else away from me. Nothing else matters."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The star is mom to six kids — Maddox, 23 Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16 — whom she shares with ex-husband Brad Pitt.
For Maria, Jolie was able to work with her sons Maddox and Pax, calling it an "amazing" experience. As she prepared for the role, the actress learned how to sing opera and practiced in her own house — much to her kids' disappointment, she jokes.
"All of my children suffered through my early opera singing in the house before I got kinda good, which was a nightmare," Jolie says.
Earlier this week, Jolie walked the red carpet at the Governor's Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., bringing her teenage son Knox along with her in a rare red carpet appearance for the mother-son duo.
Jolie wore a long cream and gold dress, posing arm-in-arm with her son, who sported a shaved head and black suit, accessorizing with a black bow tie. The two smiled for the cameras as they walked the carpet before heading into the event.
In late October, Jolie opened up about whether her kids wanted to follow their parents into the film industry while speaking with E! News at the AFI premiere of her new film Maria in Los Angeles. The proud mom said that she doesn't anticipate any of them becoming actors or wanting to be famous.
"No, I think they're especially shy, very private people," she told the outlet, adding, "They want to be private."