Is Angelina Jolie singing in Maria? Everything you need to know

Maria, a biographical drama film that chronicles the final years of world-renowned opera singer Maria Callas' life, is available for streaming on Netflix. Yes, Angelina Jolie does sing in the movie. However, songs in the film have blended Jolie's voice with real-life Maria Callas' audio recordings of her songs.

Therefore, most of the songs in the Netflix film are sung by Callas herself with Jolie lending some of her vocals.

The Oscar-winning actress undertook extensive training of almost seven months to be an opera singer. To think, act, feel, and sing like a soprano, the 49-year-old actress also undertook lessons in Italian.

While Jolie is a singer, this is the first time she has showcased her singing talent in a film.

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Angelina Jolie trained to be an opera singer in Maria

Angelina Jolie plays Maria Callas in Maria (Image via Netflix/YouTube/@Studio Canal)

The movie is set in 1977 in Paris and follows the life of a famous opera singer. Through flashbacks, viewers see Callas' life, from her steep rise to fame to her struggle to find her voice and identity.

Speaking to Tudum, director Pablo Larrain highlighted the training that went into Jolie's preparation for the role.

"Angie had different stages in her preparation. At the start, it was with opera singers and coaches who helped her have the right posture, breathing, movement, and the accent. She was singing very specific operas or arias, and most of them are in Italian. You have to sing it properly and get to the right pitches, and that means being able to follow the melody and sing it properly."

Jolie also spoke about the training and how it involved more than just singing. It entails expressing your emotions fully and utilizing your entire body to show the audience how you feel.

Speaking to the same publication, she explained:

"You have to give every single part of yourself. When opera singers express pain, it's not like a little bit, it's the biggest depth. [It requires] everything that you've got. It requires your full body, and it requires you to be full emotionally, as open and as loud, in as big a voice as you can possibly do."

During filming, Jolie had to sing in front of 200 people or, sometimes, 500 extras. Some songs have more of Jolie's voice than Callas', and others have more of the opera singer's than hers.

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Maria soundtrack

The motion picture's soundtrack is available to hear on Spotify and Apple Music. Callas' nine original arias are available in the movie's soundtrack. They are:

1. Casta Diva from Norma
2. Vissi d'arte from Tosca
3. Sempre Libera from La Traviata
4. O Mio Babbino Caro from Gianni Schicchi
5. Ebben? Ne Andrò Lontana from La Wally
6. Medea
7. I Puritani
8. Anna Bolena
9. Otello

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Details about Angelina Jolie's training

The Girl, Interrupted actress shared details of her training in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. She shared that in her first class, she cried because the process was so emotional.

"I stood there, and [the instructor] said, 'OK, just be in your body. Take a deep breath, let it all out and just open your mouth and just let that sound come from the inside.' And that’s when I became really emotional. You discover how much we lock our pain in our bodies."

She had to learn how to express her emotions, feel, and open up her body in the way her role demanded. She said opera requires your whole heart, body, and mind. You have to give it all.

In the same interview, Jolie drew parallels between her life and Callas', citing how they both are uncomfortable being in the public eye and love to create as artists.

Angelina Jolie earned a Golden Globe nomination for Maria (Image via Getty)

Jolie has been nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Drama Film for her critically acclaimed performance as the hit soprano.

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Catch Maria on Netflix. The movie will hit select theatres in Italy, UK, and Ireland in January 2025 and Germany in February 2025.