Angelina Jolie Reveals the Actor Who Left Her Speechless: ‘You Can’t Believe a Human Can Do That!’

Angelina Jolie, known for her commanding on-screen presence and critically acclaimed performances, has always seemed rooted in a more modern era of Hollywood. Coming from a family steeped in the New Hollywood movement, and carving out her own career in the action-driven films of the late ’90s and early 2000s, one might assume that Jolie’s influences and inspirations lie strictly within the ranks of contemporary cinema or her parents’ generation of actors. Yet, in a candid interview, Jolie surprised many by expressing her admiration for one of Old Hollywood’s most celebrated performers: Fred Astaire.

Astaire, renowned for his smooth, seemingly effortless dance routines and a string of successful musicals in the 1930s, left an indelible mark on Jolie through one particularly breathtaking scene. The film in question, Easter Parade (1948), came at a pivotal moment in Astaire’s career. Originally retired from film, he was coaxed back to the screen after Gene Kelly, the project’s original star, suffered a broken ankle. The movie’s story centers on a nightclub dancer caught between two partners, but it was a single musical number that truly captured Jolie’s imagination.

In her interview with the American Film Institute, Jolie reflected on the opening scene in Easter Parade featuring Astaire’s iconic “Drum Crazy” number. “One of my favourite scenes is the beginning when he goes into the store,” she recalled. “This little kid’s going to get a bunny… and he decides to convince him to get a drum set. And so he does this amazing, amazing… just this dance kind of all over the place with this drum set to convince this kid to buy it. But it’s – you just watch that, and you just can’t believe that a human being can do that.”

Her awe isn’t misplaced. “Drum Crazy” showcases Astaire at his most inventive and fluid. As Jolie described, the number involves him tap dancing while seamlessly interacting with drums—kicking them, tapping them, and even lying on the floor to continue tapping with his feet while using his head as a drumstick. The routine is a dazzling display of precision and creativity, epitomizing the elegance and mastery that defined Astaire’s career.

Astaire’s performance in Easter Parade not only impressed Jolie decades after its release but also marked a turning point in his own professional trajectory. Following the film’s success, he became a leading man in a new wave of Technicolor musicals, appearing in classics like Daddy Long Legs and Funny Face alongside Audrey Hepburn. He even later reinvented himself by taking on dramatic roles in films like On the Beach and The Towering Inferno, demonstrating his range and solidifying his status as a beloved performer well into the 1970s.

For Jolie, whose career has often centered on action-packed roles and intense drama, the grace and ingenuity of Fred Astaire’s performance represents a different kind of artistry—one that is as mesmerizing as it is timeless. Her admiration for Astaire, particularly his work in “Drum Crazy,” serves as a reminder that even the most modern stars can find inspiration in the elegant, unparalleled talent of Old Hollywood legends.