The Heartfelt Meaning Behind Angelina Jolie's Bird Tattoos

Angelina Jolie has never been one to shy away from a tattoo needle. From the traditional Sak Yant tattoos on her back, to her now-removed tribute to ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton, the "Gone in 60 Seconds" star has gotten her fair share of ink over the years. However, it's Jolie's bird tattoos that arguably have the most heartfelt meaning, as they seem to signify the bond between the Oscar-winning actress and her children.

It was at the 77th Tony Awards in June 2024 that Jolie first showed off the small bird tattoo on her sternum. Jolie subsequently shed a little bit of light on the meaning of the tattoo during a September 2024 interview with CR Fashion Book, revealing that it wasn't exactly one of a kind. Rather, some of Jolie's children actually have matching bird tattoos, with the A-list actress adding that the iconography was "personal" to them.

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Later that same year, at the 34th Annual Gotham Awards in December, Jolie debuted another small bird tattoo on her left arm, where her "Billy Bob" tattoo once resided. This new feathered friend was placed directly above one of Jolie's pre-existing tattoos, which lists the map coordinates of her six children's respective birthplaces. This only solidifies the notion that birds carry a special meaning for Jolie and her kids. This show of unity seems particularly meaningful, given Jolie's messy divorce from Brad Pitt and the years-long custody battle at the center of it all.

A bird (or two) isn't the only tattoo Angelina Jolie shares with one of her kids. During her CR Fashion Book interview, the actress also revealed that she and daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt have matching tattoos that read, "Stay Gold." This is a nod to the 1967 novel "The Outsiders" by S. E. Hinton, which was famously adapted into the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola movie of the same name. Decades later, Angelina co-produced a Broadway musical adapting both Hinton's book and Coppola's film, with daughter Vivienne serving as her assistant on the project. Angelina says she and her daughter — who is credited as simply "Vivienne Jolie" rather than "Vivienne Jolie-Pitt" (per Us Weekly) — got their matching tattoos while working on the play together.

According to Angelina, Vivienne took her assistant role "very seriously." "She'll correct me," the actress told People when "The Outsiders" made its Broadway debut in April 2024. "She'll say, 'Didn't you read the memo? We have to do this. We have to go through this.'" Angelina added that Vivienne was "hands down" the biggest fan of the theater in her family. Composer Justin Levine also spoke highly of Vivienne's dedication, calling her "one of the wisest little greasers I've ever met" in an interview with Extra. An obviously proud Angelina concurred with Levine's assessment. All the hard work evidently paid off, as "The Outsiders" took home four honors at the 77th Tony Awards, including Best Musical.