Aside from disappointed critics across the nation, Angelina Jolie was a hit with audiences when she brought Lara Croft, the pixelated video game star, to life on the silver screen. With the sequel due to debut this summer, Jolie talked about the movie, her tattoos and life as an Oscar winner. Will critics like the sequel? I have my own feelings about the film, and I don't tend to care about the critics. But I personally wanted it to be different and better. I'll be happier with the second one. I'm just glad [Tomb Raider] did well, I wasn't really concerned about the critics. What separates Tomb Raider from the other summer blockbusters? From what I understand, this is the only adventure film... The script was less fantasy this time. He took the stronger story that was more based in reality... which will make it more interesting to watch. Do you think the Tomb Raider movies have the staying power of the Indiana Jones films? I would never want to be so confident with it because I loved the Indiana Jones films growing up. I'm not the person to ask probably, I'm not sure. I think we'll know, maybe, after this one comes out. Have you ever played the video game? I played the game very briefly. I just made her die all the time because I thought she sounded funny. I have no patience for the game, so I tend to do other things. I'm terrible. What was the most memorable location from filming the sequel? Hong Kong is a really cool place. I had never been there, and it's like New York City, but it's on the water. And there's actually a building with a hole in it, it's called the Dragon Path so dragons can go through it, which is amazing. Is revisiting a character stifling to your creativity? It was good to do... There was a lot more to play with this time. I felt freer than in the first one, and I think I needed to do a second one.
How did working with Jan de Bont compare to working with Simon West? It wasn't that different because... Everybody was the same except for the director. The stunt teams, wardrobes, sets, the grips, the electrics were the same. And they really make up a film like this. It felt very, very similar. The story was different, but I didn't feel a huge difference in their styles and the way they directed me. Have you had any strange encounters with rabid fans of the video game? I have traveled to places clearly in the middle of nowhere where they don't have a concept of my life as a separate person, so I have often been called "Lara" and I just sort of go with it. Since you've been out of the States, what's your view on what's going on in America and Iraq? I've been thinking about that a lot because I've been traveling... I've kind of been studying the difference in press in the world...When I move from Tanzania to Dubai to Cambodia, it's all presented slightly differently... You really do need to seek the truth for yourself... I'm frustrated when I see different situations like being in Tanzania and seeing people flood out of the Congo still, and knowing that that has been going on for decades, and being in Sri Lanka and knowing that the last two decades there has been war and many people dying... There are many areas that do need attention and support... I guess I've been questioning, "Why that place now? Why do I keep seeing people run out of other areas and not be helped?" Does Lara Croft evolve, or is she a James Bond sort-of character? I think she's changed. I haven't seen the film, I don't know what they've cut, but I think she's changed. We're able to see more of her... Make her more human, more accessible. Have you removed the Billy Bob tattoo? Yes, it's pretty close to gone. It's been lasered at the dermatologist. How has your life changed after the Oscar? I was asked that recently because of the 75th anniversary and I couldn't come up with a good answer. To be honest, it's one of those things you feel you should accomplish as an actor, so it takes a certain relief when you've done it. But I also know so many actors who are my favorite actors that have never won Oscars, so I don't take it so seriously. To be honest, I haven't seen it since the day I won it. I think it's with my mom.
