Angelina Jolie’s Tattoos Shine at Rome Film Festival Premiere

Angelina Jolie captivated attendees at the 20th Rome Film Festival, not only with her striking fashion but also with the deeply personal tattoos displayed on her back. At the premiere of her latest film, Couture, on October 18, 2023, she donned a stunning midnight-black gown designed by Alberta Ferretti from the Fall/Winter 2025 collection. The gown featured a clean column silhouette and dramatic draped cape sleeves, but it was the backless design that truly highlighted her extensive collection of ink.

The tattoos, each a significant chapter of Jolie’s life, drew attention as they filled the striking teardrop cutout of her gown. Among them is a majestic Bengal tiger, inked in 2004 in Bangkok as a tribute to her Cambodian citizenship. Above this tattoo lies a Buddhist blessing for her son, Maddox, as well as a cartographic design symbolizing the four elements and continents. One tattoo boldly proclaims, “Know Your Rights,” inspired by the punk band The Clash.

For Jolie, tattoos serve as a means of self-preservation, a way to express her identity outside her film roles. Earlier this year, she shared with Backstage, “It was one of many things I did in my life that was separate from film and being on camera—that was me and not a character. To have a self is very important when a lot of your job is to transform into other selves.”

At the event held at Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica, Jolie was joined by her co-stars Anyier Anei and Louis Garrel, along with French director Alice Winocour. In Couture, Jolie portrays Maxine, a filmmaker navigating a complex personal journey that includes producing a fashion week short in Paris while facing a divorce and a breast cancer diagnosis. The character’s challenges resonate with Jolie’s own experiences, particularly her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy in 2013 after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation.

Reflecting on her surgery, she remarked, “I did choose to have that [surgery] because I lost my mother and my grandmother very young.” Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, passed away at just 56 from ovarian and breast cancer, a fate that also affected Jolie’s aunt and grandmother. She stated, “Those are my choices. I don’t say everybody should do it that way, but it’s important to have the choice. And I don’t regret it.”

During a Q&A session at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, where she first premiered Couture, Jolie discussed the emotional weight of the film. “I knew signing on to the film would bring up many personal things,” she explained to Variety. “But I have always found the heaviest films tend to have the most loving sets… It was quite healing in many ways.”

When asked about sharing a message of hope, Jolie became visibly emotional. She recalled her mother’s perspective during her battle with cancer: “All anybody ever asks me about is cancer.” Jolie encouraged others to remember that individuals facing health challenges are multi-dimensional. “If you know someone who is going through something, ask them about everything else in their life as well,” she advised. “They’re a whole person and they’re still living.”

As Jolie continues to navigate her career and personal life, her tattoos remain a powerful reminder of her journey, capturing both her past and her commitment to self-identity.