Tomb Raider star Angelina Jolie is following in the footsteps of Diana, Princess of Wales as she emerges as the new figurehead in the anti-land mine campaign. And the actress hinted that she may even give up her career in order to devote herself full-time to solving the worldwide problem of mines – which kill and maim thousands every year. Dressed in a flak jacket and helmet she was speaking at a mine clearance centre near Manchester.
Angelina first became aware of the problem while filming in Cambodia. “Wherever I was working, you would see a lot of people with missing limbs,” said the 26-year-old actress. “It was more shocking than anything I had ever seen and I soon became all too familiar with the agony and suffering land mines were causing innocent civilians, one third of them children.”
So strongly does she feel about the campaign that she cites US inaction on the issue as one of the reasons for setting up home in the UK. And while she revealed she’s planning to live part-time in Cambodia, she spoke of her fears for her adopted Cambodian son Maddox.“I’m terrified he could go for a walk and step on something, so I’m very aware of what parents there must feel,” she explained.
Alexandra Lagelee, director of Adopt A Minefield UK, said Angelina’s support would come as a huge boost. “After Diana died, the interest dipped, but unfortunately the numbers of people whose lives are threatened by land mines has not.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
