After seeing a fan get past security to get Angelina Jolie at the Toronto International Film Festival, fans were shocked.
The Oscar-winning actress was attending the opening of her most recent film, Without Blood, a war drama that she co-wrote and directed, when the incident—which swiftly went viral—took place.
Angelina Jolie, who is well-known in Hollywood for her famous status, is accustomed to meeting fans and making public appearances. But despite her extensive background managing large gatherings, this specific incident surprised bystanders and had the potential to turn into a far more catastrophic scenario.
As many celebrities do, 49-year-old Jolie politely stopped during the event to sign autographs and take pictures with admirers. People were avidly vying for her attention, as was expected of a star of her caliber.
However, when a fan got past security and grabbed Jolie in an attempt to give her a hug, things took an unexpected turn.
Jolie seemed taken aback at first, but she soon collected herself and seemed to give the fan a hug in return rather than responding with fear or worry. After a brief exchange of words, security stepped in and quickly escorted the tearful fan out.
Jolie, who is renowned for her cool head under pressure, supposedly urged security to handle the fan gently to prevent things from getting worse. Since then, her handling of the situation has drawn a lot of praise.
A video of the event quickly went viral on social media, as viewers and analysts discussed the possible risks of the contact.
While many applauded Jolie’s cool response, others voiced worries about the security lapse. “This is so scary… imagine if it was the wrong type of fan,” remarked one Twitter user.
“She handled that really nicely, but at the same time, someone in that security team needs to be fired,” a worried admirer commented. For what would happen if she had a knife? As the video kept making the rounds on the internet, many people wondered if they were secure.
“[Wow] she needs better security, if a fan can reach her that easily imagine someone that wants to hurt her, there’s a lot of crazy people out there,” wrote another user, drawing attention to the absence of security measures.
angelina jolie telling the security guards to be nice to the fan she was talking to! god i love her so much! #TIFF2024 pic.twitter.com/lGjxEumeRk
— n (@kirbysjolie) September 9, 2024
Although everyone agreed that Jolie handled the situation with grace, many felt uneasy since her security team was taken by surprise.
Fans proceeded to praise Jolie for her composure and compassion in the face of a potentially perilous circumstance. “Angelina handled that so great and she even told the security to be nice when the fan was being escorted out,” remarked one admirer. “She handled this with such grace, a true queen.”
Even while the incident made some people wonder about the event’s security procedures, Jolie’s answer won her praise and demonstrated her capacity to remain composed under duress.
It was nicely put by one fan when they said, “My idea of an ideal night at a film festival isn’t being surprise grabbed by a stranger and coerced to give them an embrace,” but Jolie handled it with elegance and dignity.
