Ahead of the release of
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Angelina Jolie told the press that it was tough to play Maleficient again following her rocky divorce from Brad Pitt.
"
It was a tough time. I’d been coming off a few years of difficulty, and I was not feeling very strong. In fact, I was feeling pretty broken. It took me a moment to feel the strength of [Maleficent] again."
She cited her 6-children as the source of her renewed strength and the ultimate factor in her decision to reprise the role.
Jolie will have to remain strong as the sequel has debuted to a Rotten Tomatoes score of 43% after the original 2014 release earned a slighty better 53% rating. That low score didn't stop the original from earning $785.5 M at the box office from an estimated budget of $263M.
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is a fantasy adventure that picks up several years after “Maleficent,” in which audiences learned of the events that hardened the heart of Disney’s most notorious villain and drove her to curse a baby Princess Aurora. The film continues to explore the complex relationship between the horned fairy and the soon to be Queen as they form new alliances and face new adversaries in their struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within.