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Angelina Jolie says women are defined too much by other people’s perceptions

Actor is at Venice film festival promoting biopic about opera singer Maria Callas who was scrutinised for being a ‘diva’

Maria, by the Chilean film-maker Pablo Larraín, premieres at the Venice film festival on Thursday, but it has already generated Oscar buzz over Jolie’s depiction of the renowned “diva”. The soprano singer is deeply isolated, with only her butler (played by Pierfrancesco Favino) and housemaid (Alba Rohrwacher) looking after her – concerned about her health, the drugs and the devastating ripple effects of her diminished voice. Callas, who was born Maria Kalogeropoulos to Greek parents in New York, made her professional debut in Athens as a 17-year-old and went on to become one of the greatest opera singers of all time with her unparalleled voice and stage presence.

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