Angelina Jolie found herself at the center of an overwhelming scene when she arrived in New York City for a special screening of her new film, Without Blood, on September 14.
The Maria actress was accompanied by her daughter Zahara, and video from the event showed the pair arriving at the venue before a crowd of eager fans quickly surrounded Jolie. While Zahara walked ahead, Jolie stayed behind to sign autographs for those waiting outside.
What started as a typical celebrity meet-and-greet soon became increasingly chaotic. Fans crowded around Jolie and pushed posters toward her as others called out for her attention. At one point, Jolie appeared to mouth “stop” as she tried to manage the crowd while continuing to sign as many autographs as she could.
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Angelina Jolie Gets Swarmed By Fans In NYC
Members of her security team could also be heard telling people to back up and give the actress some space.
The footage quickly circulated online, with viewers expressing shock at how intense the crowd became.
“Then y’all wonder why these celebrities act ‘rude’ to fans it’s because of stuff like this,” one person wrote on Instagram.
“She handled it perfectly because I would’ve pulled out some pepper spray,” another joked.
“That is insane,” someone else commented.
“She’s clearly still the queen of Hollywood,” another fan wrote.
Others sympathized with Jolie, with one person saying, “U can see when she regretted being nice.”
“That’s overwhelming! Sheesh…she did good,” another added.
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Angelina Stayed 'Silent' During Brad Pitt Divorce Battle
Jolie’s New York appearance came as she promotes Without Blood, which she directed and adapted from Alessandro Baricco’s 2002 novella.
The film, starring Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir, is set to hit theaters on September 18. Jolie recently told PEOPLE that she began working on the project during what she described as “a very difficult time” in her life and said the film became a form of “private healing.”
The Oscar winner has also largely kept quiet about the fallout from her split from Brad Pitt. Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, and the former couple got into years of messy legal disputes.
In a recent PEOPLE report marking a decade since their separation, a source close to Jolie said she had deliberately maintained her silence to avoid publicly disparaging Pitt, the father of her six children.
“For a decade she has kept silent, so not to disparage the father of her children,” the source said. “She has kept a dignified silence even while she was being attacked with misinformation.”
Jolie and Pitt share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne.
