Angelina Jolie described herself as “broken” before taking on her next film role, and she questioned if she was strong and stable enough to bring herself through.

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the 45-year-old actor admitted that, like her character, Hannah Faber, a seasoned smokejumper who faces tragedy on the job, she has felt “broken” at times.

“We all have times in our lives where we feel broken, and I was in a period like that,” Jolie explained. “I’ve had my share of things that made me feel… you know, hard to speak too much about it, but just overwhelming or broken.”

Jolie also discussed how she related to her character’s anguish in her forthcoming film Those Who Wish Me Dead.

“I am drawn to people who have been through something and are broken, and then find their way forward and overcome it,” the 45-year-old actress remarked in a behind-the-scenes film shot on set. “As an artist, it’s very healing to play people like that. She’s been very healing for me because you just get so broken and then you stand back up.”

The Oscar winner plays is a fireman who parachutes into wildfires and is haunted by the fact that she was unable to save three lives in a fire. Hannah is charged with protecting a traumatized 12-year-old kid.

The Maleficent actress, who divorced her ex-husband Brad Pitt in 2016 after a 10-year marriage, believes it is vital for her children to view her as a survivor.

Jolie described her character, Hannah Faber, as “a very broken person who carries a great deal of guilt.” Hannah suffers from PTSD and blames herself for a workplace catastrophe. She makes it her duty to defend a 12-year-old child (Finn Little) from hitmen after he witnesses a murder.

She assists him in fleeing as he is pursued by two assassins, portrayed by Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen, following a murderous attack on his father, and the duo face lightning storms and a massive blazing flame in an attempt to evade them.

“On its surface, it feels like a great thriller, a great adventure across an unusual terrain inside a great fire,” the Oscar winner said. “Underneath it, it’s a really emotional film. It’s about people who have a great impact on each other and change each other. Emotionally and practically, they go through the fire.”

Jolie described herself as “lucky” to be given the role of Faber, who eventually wins over her adversity to find the fortitude to carry on. “I wish all women could have this at times in their lives,” she remarked.

Angelina Jolie told CBS This Morning about the necessity of presenting strong women on screen, and that she looked to her prior experiences to better connect to her character.

“I don’t have the same grief that she has, but I have my own loss, my own trauma,” Angelina told CBS This Morning anchor Vladimir Duthiers. “I think we all within our character dug into those parts that made it real for us.”

Jolie opened up about her divorce from Brad Pitt earlier this year, following their September 2016 breakup. “The past few years have been pretty hard,” she said to British Vogue in the magazine’s March 2021 cover story. “I’ve been focusing on healing our family. It’s slowly coming back, like the ice melting and the blood returning to my body.”

The Maleficent actress said that she was trying hard to return to her happy place. “I’m not there yet,” she confessed. “But I hope to be. I’m planning on it.”

The Oscar winner also told ET about her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died in 2007 after a nearly eight-year struggle with breast and ovarian cancer.

“I’ve had this many times in my life. When my mom passed away … It’s a part of something when you feel you just want to kind of hide under the covers or you’re not sure what you got left in you,” she shared.