She has often admitted that her mother is the greatest inspirational force in her life.
She called her "Marshmallow" because she was "just the softest, most gentlewoman in the world."
Mothers! The embodiment of sacrifice, love, and affection, to say the least. It is almost perplexing how one woman can carry out so many various roles and responsibilities and still not have a single bitter bone in her body. The serenity and healing power of her smile never fades even when she is dying from inside. Well, when one gets used to this kind of unconditional love and compassion it is hard to live in the world without having that anymore.
Global star Angelina Jolie says that she tries with all her heart to become as good a mother as her own mother was, but she knows she could never achieve that feat.
Marcheline Bertrand died in 2007, aged 56 due to ovarian cancer. She was an actress and a philanthropist but more than anything, she was a "full-time mother" and never let anything come in between her and her children. In an interview, Jolie said, "My mother was a full-time mother. She didn't have much of her own career, her own life, her own experiences. Everything was for her children," reports Daily Mail.
She confessed, "I will never be as good a mother as she was. I will try my best, but I don't think I ever will be. She was the most generous, loving woman. She's better than me."
The actress whose private life has always been under scrutiny has gone through certain very hard times in her life. But her divorce with co-star Brad Pitt was definitely the hardest as it was overly hyped by the media and their every single move was eyed by millions across the world. At that time, she had said that she missed her mother dearly for her advice and she needs her like no other time.
"I would give anything for her to be with me at this time. I've needed her," the 41-year-old said. "I talk to her often in my mind and try to think what she might say and how she might guide me," she said, reports Stylist.
In most of her interviews about her mother, her raw, unadulterated love and pain for her come across directly. According to Daily Mail, she said that there are times when she badly wants to talk to her and just feel her warmth around. Which is another way of expressing that she has not been able to come to terms with reality. "There are times when I want to talk to my mother about something the children do, and then I realize she is not there."
"She gave me a great sense of love. I might have been nutty in my youth but I was always loving," she added.
She also revealed that Bertrand did not surrender to the pain of chemotherapy and stuck on because she wanted to see her daughter's life take the right course. "I don't want to get emotional. I wish she were here. I am never going to stop missing her. My mom was born to be a grandmother; she would have just loved it."
She continued, "She did meet some of my children, and she was fantastic. (Her first son) Maddox still remembers everything about her... As soon as Mad (Maddox) came home, I think she knew that everything was going to be all right."
Bertrand's incredible strength and courage to be there for her children inspired Jolie to do the same. Therefore, inspired by her mother she got a double mastectomy to be able to be there for her children whenever they need her. She also revealed how she was the woman who affected her life and inspired her in positive ways because she was always calm and loving.
"She was really sweet and was never angry - she couldn't swear to save her life. But when it came to her kids, she was really fierce and so this is very much her, her story." The Original Sin actress continues, "She was the woman I related to, who had that elegance and strength for knowing what was right."
However, Jolie did have a strained relationship with her initially. According to Andrew Morton's Angelina: An Unauthorized Biography, after Bertrand's divorce with her actor husband Jon Voight, she banished Jolie, then one-year-old, to another apartment in Los Angeles with two staves because it seems she looked like Voight. But gradually, the ice between them thawed and the two developed a bond so strong, it inspires millions around the world.
On multiple occasions, Jolie has mentioned that her humanitarian side is inspired by her mother and it is her responsibility to spread the love that she has left in her.
"Her name was Marcheline, but we used to call her Marshmallow, as a joke, because she was just the softest, most gentlewoman in the world," she said.
References:
https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/angelina-jolie-divorce-late-mother-cancer-marcheline-bertrand/33986
