Why Angelina Jolie Despised Lara Croft Before Filming—And How She Changed Her Mind!

Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) cemented her status as a global superstar, but her initial feelings toward the iconic character were far from favorable. In fact, the Oscar-winning actress openly admitted that she “hated” Lara Croft before even stepping onto the set of the film.

In a candid conversation with the BBC, Jolie revealed that her introduction to the character came via her first husband, actor Jonny Lee Miller, who was an avid player of the Tomb Raider video games. At the time, Jolie’s frustration with the game was palpable. “Maybe there was something to Jonny playing it years ago and me just hating this woman, because she kept my husband up all night at the time,” she recalled.

Her dislike of Lara Croft wasn’t just based on the character’s impact on her personal life—it also stemmed from her own struggles with the video game. “I’m actually terrible at the game; I kill her constantly, which I love to do because she makes these little sounds that I’m very fond of,” Jolie said with a laugh.

Despite her early resistance to the character, the opportunity to bring Lara Croft to life on the big screen came with the film adaptation, directed by Simon West. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was based on the wildly popular video game series, which follows the daring adventures of the British archaeologist Lara Croft as she hunts for ancient artifacts across the globe. While the film was widely criticized by critics, Jolie’s performance was one of the few elements that garnered positive attention. The film also earned a significant box office gross, making it a commercial success despite its critical reception.

Jolie was not alone in her mixed feelings about the film. Daniel Craig, who starred alongside her in the first Tomb Raider movie, described the experience as a “worst mistake” of his career. He cited the disjointed script as a major issue, confessing, “The script on that was all over the fucking place, and I could just never get my head around what was supposed to be going on. I should never have said yes.”

Despite the film’s struggles, a sequel titled Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life was released in 2003. Directed by Jan de Bont, the sequel was seen as a slight improvement over the original but failed to achieve the same level of commercial success.

As for Jolie, her feelings toward Lara Croft evolved over time. By the time of the sequel, she had started to understand and embrace the character more deeply. She explained in another interview with the BBC, “There’s a videogame character that a lot of people like, and you want to start transferring her to life without ruining what they like about her. But we didn’t know what she fears, what she loves and what makes her laugh.” Jolie’s efforts to humanize Lara Croft, adding depth and emotion to a character that was initially a two-dimensional figure in the game, marked a turning point in her perspective.

What began as a reluctant, somewhat frustrated relationship with Lara Croft evolved into one of the most defining roles of Jolie’s career. Despite her initial misgivings, the role of Lara Croft helped solidify her place in Hollywood and ultimately led to her becoming a household name, proving that sometimes, a character you hate can turn into an iconic part of your career.