Zahara Jolie has reflected on what it was like growing up under intense public attention, describing parts of her childhood as “challenging,” while also sharing appreciation for the bond she has with her famous mom, Angelina Jolie.
Zahara Marley Jolie, 21, is one of the six children Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt share. The former couple were together for nearly a decade before marrying in 2014, and later separated in 2016. Three of their children were adopted.
Zahara was adopted from Ethiopia in 2005, when she was six months old.
In a conversation with TIME 100 Talk, Angelina spoke warmly about Zahara, calling her “an extraordinary African woman.”
“My daughter is from Ethiopia, one of my children, and I have learned so much from her.
“She is my family, but she is an extraordinary African woman and her connection to her country, her continent, is her own and it’s something I only stand back in awe of.”
Now an adult who has spent most of her life in the spotlight, Zahara has spoken about the difficulty of navigating such a public upbringing, even as she emphasized the loving foundation she says her parents provided.
On Sunday (April 26), the Spelman College student addressed a mother-daughter brunch in Atlanta, which Angelina also attended.
According to video shared by Instagram account @thejoliechronicles_, Zahara said: “Our love for each other is a found one. I was adopted at six months old and given some of the most special and loving people as my siblings, with a mom who raised us on the value of helping others, being kind and always striving for growth as people.”
She continued: “These values may sound simple, but in a world where kindness is overlooked and helping others comes at a cost, I am grateful to have had a role model to show me what it looks like to be a decent human being.”
Zahara also noted that being raised in front of cameras and headlines made it tougher to hold onto quiet, private experiences, adding that she and her siblings could feel “overwhelmed” by how exposed their lives were.
Even so, she said her mom has stayed closely involved in her education and day-to-day experiences, including taking a genuine interest in what she’s learning and what her campus life is like.
“This has never stopped my mom from being curious about all that I’m learning in and outside of my classrooms at Spelman, and having many understandable questions about sorority life and my experiences,” she continued.
“My family embraces the newness and strives to understand these meaningful organizations in my life as I share my experiences.”
Angelina is also a mother to Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Shiloh, 19, and 17-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.