Angelina Jolie reveals Brad Pitt divorce pain helped her play tragic opera singer Maria Callas

She looked a picture of calm and elegance before the cameras at the Venice International Film Festival last night.

But on the red carpet Angelina Jolie hinted at the heavy emotional toll her divorce from Brad Pitt has taken on her, admitting that she has been through “despair” and “pain”.

The actress was in Italy promoting her latest film Maria, in which she depicts the opera singer Maria Callas.

When asked about the style of music, Ms Jolie said: “I think when you have felt a certain level of despair, of pain ... there are only certain sounds that can match that feeling, and to me the immensity of the feeling encapsulated in the sounds of opera – there is nothing like it.”

She added: “That feeling that would move all of us if we were to hear it would be the only sound that would explain that pain, so I have leant more towards it.”

Ms Jolie, 49, who was wearing a custom Tamara Ralph gown paired with an off-the-shoulder fur shawl and bold red lipstick, split from her film star husband in 2016.

She has said in court documents that he assaulted her and some of their six children on a plane, but he has always denied being violent towards her or the family.

Hostilities between the pair over finances and custody continue, with daughter Shiloh recently dropping “Pitt” from her name on her 18th birthday, revealing a deep rift.

Their two older children Maddox, 23, and Pax, 20, are believed to have no relationship with Pitt.

Ms Jolie’s appearance in Venice signalled the renaissance of her Hollywood career, which has largely been on pause since her divorce proceedings began.

The Oscar-winner said last night that she had “needed to be home more with my family these last years”.

She spent seven months training for her singing role in Maria, as she depicts the Greek soprano when she was close to death and losing her ability to perform.

The producers have indicated that they blended Ms Jolie’s voice with that of Ms Callas – who is hailed as the greatest voice in the history of opera.

Heartbroken after husband Aristotle Onassis abandoned her for John F Kennedy’s widow Jackie, she died aged 53 in 1977 after a period of ill health and isolation.

Director Pablo Larrain said that the film was a celebration of Ms Callas, with Ms Jolie adding that she hoped that the singer had known at the end of her life how loved she was.

The actress admitted that she related strongly to Ms Callas, adding: “There’s a lot I won’t say in this room that you probably know or assume. Probably what I relate to is the part of her that’s extra soft.

“She didn’t have room in the world to be as soft as she was or as emotionally open as she was. I think I share her vulnerability more than anything.”

It comes as Ms Jolie is set to release her new war drama, Without Blood, at the Toronto International Film Festival next week.

The film, which stars Demian Bichir and Salma Hayek, was written, co -produced and directed by the actress.