The media has always been a tricky element of fame that requires celebrities to navigate a very thin line that isn’t always a pleasant experience. Some celebrities can view the media as a huge nuisance to their daily lives and it can result in fights with paparazzi and a nasty relationship that intrudes on their ability to live a normal life. Yet, other celebrities that have chosen to completely isolate themselves have become a prisoner to their fame and can seem out of touch with reality during interviews and television appearances. However, there are a few celebrities that seem to have figured out a way to manipulate the media in order to create and change their public persona in a way that is most favorable to them.

This requires an incredible amount of forethought and can be difficult since the public has become wise to celebrities that seem too manufactured. While there are those that have been able to pull it off, it’s pretty easy to spot when the media has been manipulated if you take a deeper look into the background of the situation. In the case of Angelina Jolie, she had a front row seat to all of the subtle nuances of fame since she comes from a Hollywood family. Once she came into her own as a Hollywood actress in her own right, there were a number of instances where there was definitely more going on than just her quirky personality shining through. Check out our list of the 15 ways Angelina Jolie has consistently manipulated the media and see how she has been able to pull the wool over the public’s eyes time and time again.

15. Kissing Her Brother Romantically

There have been a number of celebrities that haven’t had the best acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, from Joe Pesci only uttering five words to Jennifer Lawrence falling on the steps in front of the podium. Yet, it was Angelina Jolie’s speech at the 2000 Academy Awards that was truly sensational. During the speech, she stated, “I’m in shock, and I’m so in love with my brother right now.” As if that wasn’t awkward enough, later on she was photographed kissing him full on the lips in a romantic way. This apparently isn’t something new to Jolie since she stated that this is how her relationship with her brother is and there are even other photos of them kissing. Yet, putting it on public display in this manner seems like too much of a cry for attention. Jolie has a habit of doing big stunts like these at award shows and it seems like her brother is in on the act.

14. W Magazine Spread

When Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were promoting their 2005 film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, they agreed to a pictorial spread and cover for W Magazine. While the majority of the blame for the “domestic bliss” concept of the photos can be put on photographer, Steven Klein, Jolie must accept a bit of responsibility for this highly controversial moment in time. Although some of the photos can coincide with the premise of the film, the rest are more about trying to coerce the public into seeing Jolie and Pitt as the next favorite Hollywood couple. It’s hard to deny the similarities between the photos of her and Pitt surrounded by their children to the ones they had taken later on after they solidified their relationship.

13.  Jumping In The Pool With Her Clothes On

When Angelina Jolie first started her career as an actor on the big screen, she had difficulties having her big breakout moment. While there are those that remember her for the small part she played in the 1995 film, Hackers, it was the biopic film, Gia, that truly solidified her as a serious Hollywood actress. It showed that she wasn’t afraid to give her all to a movie role, from appearing stark naked to the various lesbian scenes to the heartbreaking depiction of her dying moments. Yet, she couldn’t seem to let her   performance speak for itself and made sure to garner as much attention for herself as possible at the Golden Globes. While on the red carpet, she proclaimed that she was going to jump in the pool if she were to win and repeated the statement afterward. Sure enough, she jumped into the pool at the Beverly Hilton hotel while wearing her Golden Globe gown. She must have regretted her decision since it was quite a spectacle and undoubtedly one of her most embarrassing moments and she started to beg others to jump in as well. No one would and then she wound up grabbing a reporter for Access Hollywood and pulling him into the pool with her. That’s a sure fire way to make sure the story will become the biggest moment from the 1999 Golden Globes.

12.  Born A Goddess

While the majority of actresses try to exude a good amount of sex appeal, none more so than Angelina Jolie. She has built an entire career out of portraying sex appeal and has tried to make it seem like it is just part of her nature. In a 2007 interview with OK! magazine, Jolie told a strange tale about what she was like in Kindergarten. She stated, “I was very sexual in Kindergarten. I created a game where I would kiss the boys and give them cooties. Then we would make out and we would take our clothes off. I got in a lot of trouble!” It’s difficult to say whether or not this was actually true but not many people can remember things they did when they were in Kindergarten. Most likely, this was just another way for Jolie to make it seem like she is the Queen of Sex Appeal and was practically born sexual in nature.

11.  Marriage To Billy Bob Thornton

The public loves to see celebrity romances and it often helps to boost the popularity of all those involved. While there are those that truly do find love in Hollywood, there are other couples that the public starts to speculate about on whether or not the romance is real. In the case of the marriage between Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton, it was difficult for the public to truly believe in it. They were married in 2000, which was convenient in that it was during the height of Thornton’s popularity. Thornton had received a huge amount of acclaim from his 2001 film, Monster’s Ball, alongside Halle Berry and this was right around the time that Jolie decided to profess her undying love for him through a series of highly publicized photos. She even got a tattoo of his name on her arm. Not only did it bring the attention back on her but it was undoubtedly a way to show that her love for him was real.

10.  Vial Of Billy Bob Thornton’s Blood

Angelina Jolie has always been prone to seeking out attention as much as possible and hasn’t been above using her personal relationships to do so. At a 2001 film premiere, Jolie walked the red carpet with her then-husband, Billy Bob Thornton, and made sure to become the center story. The couple wore vials of each other’s blood around their necks that made their love a huge spectacle. Jolie had previously made comments in various interviews about her obsession with blood and cutting during her younger years and obviously it had morphed into something even stranger with her marriage to Thornton. If it truly was a way for her to feel closer to her husband, she could have done it in a less public way. Instead, she chose to highlight it through a bold hanging pendant and made sure to let the media know exactly what it was when asked on the red carpet.

9.  Academy Award Look

The Academy Awards is the most prestigious event in the world of film and every celebrity knows that it’s just as much about the fashion as it is the nominees. Designers spend a huge amount of time on the couture gowns and clamor to make sure the hottest celebrities choose their designs to wear on that special Oscar night. At the 2000 Academy Awards, Angelina Jolie obviously wanted to stand out from all the other actresses. She was up for the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Girl, Interrupted. In the film, she had a blonde look so she may have wanted to distinguish herself from the look of that character. She chose to dye her hair jet black and wear a matching gown that made her look like a dead ringer for Morticia Addams. This is just another example of Angelina Jolie trying to make sure that she is the biggest story that comes out of Oscar night.

8.  The Leg Dress

When a starlet walks the red carpet at the Academy Awards, they undoubtedly want to exude a certain level of sex appeal. While the couture gowns and the glamorous hairstyles are definitely part of their overall look, no one wants to look like an old grandmother on the most important event of the year in Hollywood. Yet, there is a fine line between natural sex appeal and a contrived show of desperation. In the case of Angelina Jolie’s look for the 2012 Academy Awards, there was an overdone stance that had the whole world talking. While wearing an Atelier Versace gown, Jolie chose to make one leg stand out to show off the incredibly high slit. However, it wasn’t for one special photo. Instead, she chose that same stance for practically the entire time she walked the carpet. It turned into something that was meme-worthy and it looked desperate in her attempt to become the main star of the red carpet.

7.  Revealing Personal Medical Information

In May 2013, Angelina Jolie published an op-ed piece in the New York Times where she disclosed that she had a preventative double mastectomy. After discovering that she had an unordinary high chance of breast and ovarian cancer, she made the decision to have preventative surgery. While some thought of it as courageous, others became highly critical of her decision to divulge such personal medical information to the public. Some of the biggest critics were from those that actually had to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy. In fact, the Today Show ran an interview with a woman that revealed the true horror behind the complicated surgery and reconstructive process. In the 2013 interview, she stated, “And trust me, it’s not easy and it’s not quick. Unless you’re lucky. Or Angelina Jolie.”

6.  Men’s Tailored Suit

Angelina Jolie has appeared in a variety of men’s clothing over the years, including some pretty butch outfits that coincided with her romantic relationship with ex-girlfriend, Jenny Shimizu. However, her look at the 2014 BAFTA awards ceremony that stood out from all the rest. She was just coming off a huge firestorm with the press over her preventative double mastectomy (which she publicized as much as she could) and this just seemed like another way for her to draw attention to herself. The men’s attire drew attention to her breast area, which was probably the point. She left her collar open and the bowtie untied, which distinguished a bit from Brad Pitt’s ensemble. Yet, the whole thing felt like just another publicity stunt rather than something put together to walk the red carpet.

5.  Maddox At A Film Festival

In 2004, there were a number of rumors coming from the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston had previously been thought of as America’s favorite red carpet darlings and the romance rumors coming from the set of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s movie weren’t exactly favorable in the eyes of the public. Jolie was seen as the woman trying to break up a happy home and people were quickly starting to turn on her. In an effort to try and pick up her public persona, Jolie was immediately seen toting around her adopted son wherever she went. This particular photo was taken at the Venice Film Festival in 2004 and there were a number of other photos of her and her son, alongside some other A-list celebrities like Robert De Niro and Will Smith.

 4.  Wedding Photos

Even though Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie began their relationship on the set of their 2005 film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, it was quite some time before they officially tied the knot. There was a huge amount of criticism surrounding their relationship since the world seemed heartbroken once Pitt divorced Jennifer Aniston in 2005. The couple almost immediately began starting their new life together but it wasn’t until 2014 that Jolie and Pitt married. Their wedding graced the cover with a “heartwarming” family photo and even had a pictorial spread to help show/prove their love to the world.

3.  Cambodia Film With Family

In September 2016, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt and then went into hiding without any public appearances. During this time, there were a number of allegations thrown out about Pitt and a bitter custody battle ensued. However, an intense investigation proved that the allegations were false and Brad Pitt was cleared of any wrong doing. This made Jolie look incredibly bad and she needed to do something in order to put herself back into the public’s good graces. Her first appearance since filing for divorce came at a free screening of her newest film in Cambodia. She made sure that all of her kids came along and she also made sure to smile and wave at the cameras as often as she could.

2.  Role As A Humanitarian

The most difficult thing to overcome in Hollywood is the extremely damaging label of “home wrecker” as a celebrity starlet. While an actress can get through having a poor performance in a film or even a leaked nude photo, it is near impossible to have the public forget that they were once the most hated mistress in Hollywood. Yet, Jolie seems to have found the cure to getting rid of this label and that is to throw herself into humanitarian work. After all, she can’t be so bad if she’s constantly being photographed helping people in third world countries, right? This particular photo was taken in 2010 when she was promoting her role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN and was visiting Haiti to bring aid.

1.  The Happy Family

There are many celebrities that have gone to great lengths to try and hide their children from the world in order to give them a sense of normalcy in their lives. Michael Jackson famously covered his children’s faces so that they could be free of the glare of the public. Other celebrities have even fought paparazzi that try and photograph their children or exploit their kids in any way. Yet, that definitely isn’t the case for Angelina Jolie. In fact, it seems like she has gone out of her way to show the world her children and even pulled in Brad Pitt to make it seem like they were the perfect blended family. This idea of being the happily little family has shown its ugly head in a variety of photos with Angelina Jolie but since the marriage has resulted in divorce, it’s obvious that things weren’t always happy behind the scenes.

Sources: Access Hollywood, E! News, Daily Mail