It’s been a long time coming, but Angelina Jolie’s son Maddox, 23, has finally reached a lifelong dream. The Maria star gushed about her son’s big achievement in a new interview, and you can tell how proud she is of this full-circle moment.
In an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday night, Jolie confirmed that she’s “a pilot” — and so is her son! “My son Maddox is training to be a pilot now, too,” she told host Jimmy Fallon. “He’s actually, he is a pilot now.”
How incredible is that? And apparently, Jolie has known about her son’s passion for planes for a while now.
In a 2004 interview with PEOPLE, the Maleficent star revealed that she started flying planes when Maddox was 3. “Every time Mad sees a plane, he’s amazed,” Jolie told the outlet. “If I could actually fly a plane by the time he’s 4, I’ll be like Superman to him.” Um, talk about dedication! If my son was interested in planes I’d buy him an airplane toy, not learn how to fly planes myself. (And the Mom of the Year Award goes too…) She went on to get her pilot’s license the same year and bought a single-engine plane in 2005, with her tail number containing the letters “MX” for her son, per the outlet.
In 2017, Jolie revealed that Maddox began his own flight training. “He’s quite capable and always takes me by surprise,” Jolie told PEOPLE. “He’s been practicing flying, then they called me the other day and said, ‘so Mad can go solo,’ and I nearly dropped the phone!”
Jolie shares Maddox and kids Pax, 21, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, Knox, 16, and Vivienne, 16, with ex-husband Brad Pitt. They all seem very close to their mom (and “very private” Jolie re-iterated in her interview with Fallon), but occasionally attend events to support Jolie. Last April, Maddox joined his mom at the White House State Dinner to honor South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, where he counteracted his mom’s flowing white gown with a sharp black suit. He also joined his brother Pax to support their mom while she was filming Maria last year.
In an interview with Vogue in 2023, the Salt star credits her children with saving her. “Having children saved me — and taught me to be in this world differently,” she told the outlet. “I think, recently, I would’ve gone under in a much darker way had I not wanted to live for them.”
“They’re better than me, because you want your children to be,” she continued. “Of course I’m the mother, and hopefully that safe place for them and that stability. But I’m also the one that they laugh at — and I see them taking over so many different aspects of our family.”
Angelina Jolie is a mom of six — and the way she dotes on her kids is adorable!
