Angelina Jolie Shows Off Extensive Back Tattoos for 1st Time in Years
Angelina Jolie tends to wear more modest clothing these days. The 49-year-old often dons gorgeous gowns draped in luxurious materials, as evidenced by several of her media appearances in 2024. However, the A-list actor occasionally bares her shoulders and back, showing off the extensive tattoos she’s added over the years.
How many tattoos does Jolie have in total? Fans say over 20. Recently, the Malificient star wore a backless dress to the 81st Venice International Film Festival, giving us more tattoo details than we’ve seen from Jolie in a long time.
In total, Jolie likely has over 20 tattoos ranging from GPS coordinates to a 12-inch-long Bengal tiger. The ones featured on her back are some of her most obscure pieces, given that she often covers up her upper half. However, the the mother of six attended a photocall for the psychological drama Maria in Venice, Italy, on August 29, 2024. As she exited the event via boat, Jolie’s black backless dress showed off her ink.
First, reports Pop Sugar, Jolie has “Know Your Rights” tattooed across the top of her back, below her neck. The empowering statement is the title of one of her favorite songs by The Clash.
To the left and slightly down her back is an intricate Buddhist Pali incantation written in Khmer script. Meant to protect her and her son, Maddox, from bad luck, it allegedly reads, “May your enemies run far away from you. If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always. Your beauty will be that of Apsara. Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve, and protect you, surrounding you on all sides.”
The other three designs tattooed on the middle of Jolie’s back represent four continents. While filming First They Killed My Father in Cambodia, the Mr. and Mrs. Smith star had the pieces tattooed using steel rods mounted with a surgical steel needle. The design to the far right supposedly brings wealth and luck. Another involves a Buddhist temple design. The largest tattoo in the middle of her back represents the classical elements of earth, water, air, and fire.
One back tattoo wasn’t completely exposed at the Venice Film Festival. Jolie’s Bengal tiger tattoo honors her Cambodian citizenship. In 2004, the Girl, Interrupted star got the 12-inch piece done using a traditional Thai style of tattooing with a manual needle. You can see the top of the tiger in the photo above.
Jolie used to have a dragon tattooed on her upper left arm with the name “Billy Bob” over the top. However, she removed this piece when she and Billy Bob Thronton got divorced in 2003 after three years of marriage. The Maria star replaced it with the GPS coordinates of each of her children’s birthplaces.
