Angelina Jolie has always been open about her personal life and struggles, 

but recently, she shared a particularly revealing moment during a Q&A session at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

In this candid conversation with renowned film critic Leonard Maltin, Jolie reflected on her past smoking habit

and how the iconic role of Lara Croft in *Tomb Raider* almost 25 years ago played a pivotal part in transforming her lifestyle for the better.

Before she became the athletic, action-hero star we know today, Jolie had a very different routine.

She confessed that she was smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, a habit that was deeply ingrained in her life.

This was before her casting as the video game character Lara Croft, who required a physically demanding preparation for the role.

It wasn’t just a matter of acting – it was about becoming the embodiment of an action star. Jolie’s health had to change drastically to meet the physical demands of the role.

“I admittedly came [in] smoking two packs a day and completely had to change my health and my life and discover that I could do things I didn’t know I could do,” she said.

For someone who had been smoking so heavily, the shift to a much healthier lifestyle was both a challenge and a revelation.

Her physical transformation for *Tomb Raider* required intense training sessions and a complete overhaul of her diet and daily habits.

Jolie’s training routine for *Tomb Raider* was nothing short of rigorous. “For Tomb Raider, there were a few months of just nothing but multiple training sessions a day: morning, noon, and night,” she recalled.

The actress focused entirely on her fitness, pushing herself to the limits, and her body began to crave only the essentials: healthy food, water, and rest. It was this change that helped her ditch the cigarettes and adopt a much healthier routine.

This commitment to training and self-care didn’t just transform her body; it also changed her mindset. Jolie’s experience with physical training and breaking free from her smoking habit gave her a sense of empowerment.

She discovered that she was capable of achieving more than she had previously thought.

Once the film was completed, Jolie’s smoking habit was no longer a part of her life. “I never did it again…Well, I think I did once or twice,” she said with a lighthearted acknowledgment of her past struggle.

It’s clear that her time working on *Tomb Raider* not only shaped her physical transformation but also impacted her overall approach to her health and well-being.

While *Tomb Raider* marked a significant shift in her lifestyle, the movie also changed her career in profound ways.

The success of the film propelled her into the global spotlight, and the role of Lara Croft became one of her most iconic characters. It was a transformative period for Jolie, both personally and professionally.

At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Jolie was awarded the prestigious Maltin Modern Master Award.

During her emotional acceptance speech, she reflected on her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, and how she had supported her acting career.

Jolie shared that her mother would write letters to her characters, including *Tomb Raider’s* Lara Croft. These letters were a source of comfort and connection, especially now that her mother has passed away.

Jolie was visibly moved as she talked about her mother, remembering how Marcheline had given up her own creative dreams to support her daughter.

“My mother would write letters to my characters – Dear Gia, Dear Lisa Rowe, Dear Lara Croft,” she said, adding that she hasn’t received such letters in the 16 years since her mother’s death.

Jolie’s emotional tribute to her mother highlighted the deep bond they shared and the way her mother’s love shaped her life.

In her speech, Jolie also reflected on her role as a mother to her six children. She spoke about how her work as an actress is deeply connected to her own personal experiences, especially the feelings of loss and longing that often inspire her performances.

“I would be absolutely nothing without mine,” Jolie said of her late mother, emphasizing the enduring influence her mother’s love had on her.

As an actress and a mother, Angelina Jolie’s journey from smoking two packs of cigarettes a day to becoming the physical embodiment of Lara Croft is a testament to her resilience and determination.

Her openness about her past struggles, along with her heartfelt tribute to her mother, paints a picture of a woman who has faced challenges head-on and emerged stronger, both as an artist and as a person.