Angelina Jolie’s Vietnamese-born son assists mother on shoot

By Hoa Mi October 16, 2023 | 02:00 am PT

Pax Thien (R) assists actress Angelina Jolie, his adoptive mother, during Jolie’s movie shooting. Photo from Pax Thien Fanpage’s Instagram

Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, actress Angelina Jolie’s Vietnamese-born adopted son, acted as his mother’s assistant as the actress shot for her upcoming film “Maria.”

Appearing in a t-shirt and khaki pants, the young man accompanied his adoptive mother Angelina Jolie to the movie shooting site at Paris’ Pont Alexandre III bridge, took photos of her with his camera, and discussed details about the shooting process via his walkie-talkie. He also held an umbrella for his mother during the entourage’s break.

His adoptive brother Maddox Jolie-Pitt was also present at the site.

This is not Pax Thien’s first time assisting his mother on site, since Jolie hired him as her assistant when she directed her movies "Without Blood" and "First They Killed My Father." According to Jolie, Pax Thien is hard-working and independent.

Along with helping his adoptive mother with her movie projects, Pax Thien is also participating in the setup process of Jolie’s fashion brand Atelier Jolie. The actress told Vogue in her September interview that she was proud of him.

Pax Thien, 20, was abandoned by his biological mother shortly after he was born in Ho Chi Minh City. He was then sent to a local orphanage, where people gave him the Vietnamese name Pham Quang Sang. He lived there until he was adopted by Jolie and her ex-husband Brad Pitt in 2007.

He is now working as a visual artist whose works have strong abstract influences.

Jolie, 48, has six children with her ex-husband film star Brad Pitt, 60: Maddox, Pax Thien, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox Jolie-Pitt. Maddox, Pax Thien, and Zahara were adopted from orphanages in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Ethiopia respectively. Meanwhile, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox are the couple’s biological children.

Jolie and Pitt have been embroiled in a custody battle following Jolie’s initial divorce filing in 2016. Jolie was granted physical custody of the kids, while Pitt was given joint custody in 2021. However, it is reported that the tug-of-war is still not completely settled.

"Maria," directed by the Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, revolves around the last years of American-Greek soprano Maria Callas (played by Angelina Jolie). Set for release in 2024, it is currently in production.