Angelina Jolie
March 12, 2007 – Angelina Jolie has often been criticized for her efforts as a goodwill ambassador for the UN, calling her travels to troubled corners of the world as celebrity tourism and a show for publicity. Jolie spoke to Newsweek in an interview about her travels, the refugees and the criticism she has faced.
“If someone had a direct criticism of my opinion on the issue, if someone had a direct criticism of the image shown because they think it hurts somebody then I will take that into consideration,” Jolie told.
“But there are a lot of people that simply have an immediate gut reaction and they just don't want to combine artists with foreign policy.”
Jolie has been an ambassador for the UN refugee relief efforts for nearly 6 years and reflecting back she didn’t think to be taken seriously.
“I [was] considered a rebel in Hollywood. At the time I was also a bit of the wild child,” Jolie recalled. “So first I went to Washington [to the UNHCR office] and I sat with everybody there and said, "You know, I know you don't know me. You might have heard things about me… And I don't want to bring negative attention to your agency. If you could just help me, I'll pay my way,”” Jolie said.
“It took me a while to agree to do it,” Jolie said about having cameras following her visits to the refugee camps. “I guess I saw that so many times the picture comes before the knowledge and the substance and I certainly didn't want to do that to myself or the organization.”
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