Angelina Jolie felt 'pretty broken' after 'a few years of difficulty' upon her return to acting: 'It took me a moment to feel the strength of Maleficent again'

The film Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil is set to be released on Friday.

And Angelina Jolie opened up about reprising the role after a four year break from acting.

The 44-year-old movie star said of her returning to Maleficent: ‘It was a tough time. I’d been coming off a few years of difficulty, and I was not feeling very strong. In fact, I was feeling pretty broken,’ she told People magazine.

Candid: Angelina Jolie opened up about reprising the role after a four year break from acting; pictured on October 9 at the London premiere of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Adding: ‘It took me a moment to feel the strength of [Maleficent] again.’

During her four year break from acting, Angelina split from Brad Pitt, 55.

The movie stars, who met in 2004 while filming Mr. And Mrs. Smith, share six children together: sons Maddox, 18, Pax, 15, and Knox, 11, and daughters Zahara, 14, Shiloh, 13, and Vivienne, 11.

They married in August 2014 after 10 years together but Angelina filed for divorce in September 2016.

Honest: The 44-year-old movie star said of her returning to Maleficent: ‘It was a tough time. I’d been coming off a few years of difficulty, and I was not feeling very strong. In fact, I was feeling pretty broken,’ she told People magazine

A judge granted them both legal single status while finalizing their divorce.

The former lovebirds have agreed on a custody agreement for their kids and are currently sorting out property and finances, specifically who gets Miraval, their French winery and the place they tied the knot.

She told Madame Figaro magazine her split from Brad was ‘a complicated moment’ and that she ‘didn’t recognize herself anymore.’

The way they were: During her four year break from active, Angelina split from Brad Pitt; pictured January 9, 2015 at the 15th Annual AFT Awards Luncheon at Four Seasons Hotel in LA

Angelina said the moment when her ‘relationship was coming to an end’ was when she ‘had lost’ herself a bit.

On the separation: ‘I felt a deep and genuine sadness, I was hurt,’ and that she felt ‘smaller, almost insignificant, even if it wasn’t necessarily obvious.’

Angelina first played the character Maleficent in 2014; in the first film, her daughter Vivienne played a young Aurora.

Happier times: They married in August 2014 after 10 years together but Angelina filed for divorce in September 2016; pictured together on November 5, 2007 at the Beowulf premiere in Westwood, CA

However, the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider star said she didn’t want to be in the sequel – and neither did any of her other kids.

She said to People: ‘I tired. Viv still can’t believe I made her a princess. None of my kids want to be actors. [They’re into] business, humanitarian affairs, things like that. Nobody was interested.’

Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil is set to hit theaters on Friday; she stars alongside Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer and Chiwetel Ejiofor.