Angelina Jolie: Refugees Give Me New Appreciation For Life

Angelina Jolie appreciates life a whole lot more now thanks to the world’s refugees. Here’s what the 34-year-old actress told Today Show’s Ann Curry:

On her childhood being much different if she’d grown up knowing what she has learned as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador: “I think it would have got me through my youth easier. I would have been less self-destructive… You see people that have suffered things that you will never, ever know. And you know how lucky you are.”

On making sure her children grow up knowing refugee children: “I want them to see it as an area where they can go down the street and play football with those kids and get to know them, and as they grow up seem them as those friends they spent time with. Hopefully I can raise them with a more accurate view of the world than I was raised with, maybe they’ll naturally be better people. And I’m sure my children will be visiting and learning from refugees in the future.”

On agreeing with Brad Pitt that this is one of the happiest times of her life: “I am extememly happy in my life. My children are healthy and it’s one of the most extraordinary times in my life and I’m able to do good things and good work.”

On being the “next Audrey Hepburn”: “I’m lucky to be in this. And I’m sure Audrey Hepburn felt the same. That she was the fortunate one to be able to meet all those kids around the world. You know, we’re just in a very fortunate situation that we get to be able to give a voice to these extraordinary people.”

On having birthday celebrations year-round: “I do have the twins, and I just had Shi in May. We have so many kids that we just have year-round birthdays. It’s a lot of fun now ’cause the older kids are old enough to help plan the birthdays for the younger kids. So it’s one of the great pleasures of life, the birthdays.” (This quote was actually from her speech at the National Geographic Society.)

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