ALLURE / ALMOST INFAMOUS

Fans can think she's weird, Angelina Jolie says. Though rumors find her wherever she goes, she's found peace-and Billy Bob Angelina Jolie is pulling down her pants. "Here, look at my new scar," she says as she tugs at her waistband to reveal a pale, skinny lower belly on which is etched, alongside a large blue-black tattoo of a Gothic cross, and inch-long scab forming over recently abraded flesh. "It's from my harness," she explains. The harness in question is the one she has been wearing while filming her latest movie, Tomb Raider, in which she plays the video game heroine Lara Croft. But, given Jolie's reputation for adventures on the dark side - the stories of erotic knife play, the rumors of unnatural affection for her brother, the rumors of drug use, the out-of-the-blue marriage to prfessionally weird Billy Bob Thorton - nothing, not even recreational harness wearing, would come as a surprise. Nothing, that is, except discovering that Jolie is much funnier and warmer and more thoughtful in person than her wild - thing press clips would suggest, even if she does have disconcerting predilection for showing off her scars - physical and emotional - in public. (Oh, and discovering that Jolie really is staggeringly beautiful, even when there's no cinematographer around to catch her best angles. Jolie is all best angels.) Jolie is best known for playing deeply troubled women - in Girl, Interrupted and in Gia - and the distinction between her roles and her life has often seemed blurred, even to her. But these days her offscreen persona is full of bounce and good humor, something she attributes to her marriage to Thorton, even if that marriage has been conducted largely via telephone and planetrips. In a couple of recent conversations - one by phone for London, one in New York - she discussed married life, acting, and those rumors about Antonio Banderas and her on set of Original Sin, her new movie. (She plays a woman in Delaware who accepts a marriage proposal from Banderas in Cuba. She meets him face - to - face and marries him the same day, and we find out that both are not who they say they are.) She disclosed one of her favorite bedtime creations (it involves beavers but it's not what you think) and revealed where else she has "Billy Bob" tattoo, other than on her arm. (Hint: It's even harder to see than her harness scar.) Between Love and Madness Lies... "I'm obsessed with my husband, madly obsessed with him. I walk around the set [of Tomb Raider] half the time asking people what time it is and then screaming, 'Oh, he's in bed, he's sleeping.' Then I get happy and run around and they just think I'm nuts. Or I ask, 'What time is it?' and think he must be eating now or he must be in the shower. And then if he has a headache or anything bad happened, everybody on set knows and everyone around me knows. On etime he called from Newfoundland or something on his way back from visiting me in London - th eplane had ot stop there unexpectedly. I completely forgot I was on set, and I ended up screaming everything from how much I wanted him to how much I adore him and love him. It probably sounded extremely psychotic and sexual and also extremely corny, and when I hung up the phone, everyone on set was dead quiet and stopped what they were doing. But it wasn't embarrassing. I never would be embarrassed anywhere. They all understand that I am just deeply, deeply in love with my best friend, and that it's important to stop everything to talk to him for a few minutes. It's more important thanmoving on with a shot right now; it's more important than the film for a second. I need to speak to the person who makes me OK." Getting Real "I've gone most of my life thinking I'd never feel grounded, and I've never know what home was, and I'd never think I was understood. I didn't hold on much to much, and didn't commit to much, because I felt I'd just be moving forward and everything would end, or everything would not be real enough or complete enough, or nothing would ever touch me. I never felt anything. And I met him and suddenly I feel very much alive, like there's somebody who really knows me, and even after he knows me, he likes me." You're Only As Old As... You Are "I think he has a tattoo that's from the year I was born. I think That's great. I know for many people age is a big thing, and from outside, if you haven't met us, that may seem like and issue. But we have so many issues that make us odd. That seams like the least [of it]." The New House "This is the first real house [in Los Angeles] I've ever had. It just had all the things we wanted: space and rooms and places to play and get crazy. There's an elevator I plan to have fun in. I plan to have fun in every corner of that house. I saw these life - size horses - not actually stuffed horses, or course, they're made of some kind of plastic - so instead of chairs in the living room, we're going to have a bunch of those. People will have to climb up in the saddle to sit. We've discussed having one of those Magic Fingers beds you put a quarter in. Not for our room, just for an extra room." Till Death Do They Part "All the reasons we're probably absolutely perfect for each other are the reasons people think that we won't last. We can also be really wild and crazy, but that's not to say we're not deeply in love in a very real way, in the most real way. We're familiy and we're best friends, and - I was going to say 'lovers,' but I miss him so much I can't even say that. We certainly don't like hearing things about us where people just don't believe it to be serious, or would think it can be taken apart, because it can't be." Too Much Information (But What The Hell) "I didn't know I could be so close to another person. He stunned me. He does certain things to me that just - they're beautiful things, and he can make me just calm and happy, and he can also do something and before I know it, I'm in a corner across the room breathing heavt, and I don't know what happened, and I'm trying to get back on the bed, but I can't walk. It's just remarkable. I honestly don't know half the time what happens." The Pitter - Patter Question "I'm somebody who really appreciates two people finding each other and not necessarily giving birth. To some people, maybe it feels more important if it's 'yours.' I don't feel that way. And if I got pregnant, I wouldn't be against it. Then it would be with him and it would be amazing. And that may happen as well. It's just a matter of time, and I think a lot of it has to do with finishing up a certain cycle of my work and settling in at home before I can consider that." "Work," "Life," "Self" And Other Four Letter Words "For somebody as independent and solitary as I am, the fact that I need anybody for any amount of time is still shocking to me. And I also know that I could be home for a year and not work and be very happy. My life is now finally as full as [those of] all the charaters I've played. I'm happy being myself, which I've never been before. I always hid in other people, or tried to find myself through the characters, or live out their lives, but I didn't have those things in mine." Scar - Gazing "I think all women go through periods where we hate this about ourselves, we don't like that. It's great to get to a place where you just dismiss anything you're worried about. I find flaws attractive. I find scars attractive." Hair - Free, Care Free "You see the Buddist monks and it's like they're all clean - you just look at their eyes. I found my personality came out more when I had a shaved head and no makeup on. I felt more beautiful, because I felt like an animal and I felt very clean. I had to do a few photo shoots, and because of the way I looked, they couldn't put me in some frilly dress. They couldn't put to much makeup on me, they couldn't curl my hair. It ended up always having ot be... me." But When a Woman Needs Lipstick... "I use [M.A.C.] Folio. But anybody who doesn't have bright - red mouth shouldn't put it on, because they'll just look dead." "Everything Gets Fuller" "I gained weight during making of [Original Sin]. In the beginning, which is the more innocent period, I was very thin. And my breasts look smaller - the breasts are smaller. Now, I'm certainly not big, but much bigger than I've been. I'm finally starting to get curves like a woman and I'm so happy with it. When I got heavier, suddenly my chest was up to here. [ She grabs her breasts and pushes them up.] I doubled in size during filming. It's being in love - everything get fuller." Muppet or Movie Star? "I know that I'm odd looking. I don't blend very well sometimes. I see things about myself - I see a little scar over this eye that my brother gave me when I was little, and I see my mom's eye color and my dad's jaw. And my eyebrow - I'm getting a wrinkle over it because I just can't stop lifting it, and I love that, you know. And I sometimes think I look like a funny muppet. I felt beautiful when I was in Cambodia [for Tomb Raider]. I was sweaty, and my hair was matted all over the place. And I was happy and hot and accomplishing a lot and running around, and I could feel my heart beating, and I felt beautiful. And barefoot or first thing in the morning, I feel beautiful. Because I feel like me. I didn't always feel that way, but I feel that way now. When somebody just loves you, and when you can make somebody happy, when your presence seems to make them happy, you suddenly feel like the most beautiful person in the world." Is It Real, Or Is It A Role? "After a while, you can't ignore fact that people are saying, 'You're so dark.' You might think, God, I think I'm a decent person, I think I laugh a lot, but somehow, I've offended people. And then I met Billy. And that's what [Original Sin] is about - you meet that person, maybe, who actually really gets you. And really discovers who you are completely. And you're both relieved to be who you are, finally. [My character is] a person who doesn't escape her past and be accepted and thought of as a decent person. And worthy of a decent person. And she thinks that she isn't up to par with those other people, who are not scarred. And, you know, what if you do have scars? And what if you've done stupid, stupid things, and continue to - are you less of a person? And I certainly don't think you are. I prefer people who are not perfect." On The Other Man... "[Original Sin costar] Antonio [Banderas] is a sweetheart. We're, like, great friends, and you could only do this film with somebody whom you get on with in a really playful way. We were just playful. I haven't done many films that are sexy. I actually haven't done that many love scenes. I think love scenes are great when you're looking at each other and you're laughing, because that's how it really is." ...And How She "Clarifies" Things "I have 'Billy Bob' tattooed here [she points to her pubic area], so with the love scene, you know there's no confusing. I shaved down at one point and did it. So anytime I do a love scene, I'll just shave it off, so the name is really really clear. So for all those people who have those rumors going around that something's going on [between Jolie and Banderas]: It really couldn't have been happening. But it wouldn't have anyway. It's funny that there are rumors. It's also upsetting, because we both are so madly in love with the people in our lives." Brutal Honesty "Some of the weird things [she's been rumored to have done] are true, and that's fine. I'm not really safe, normal person. I'm going to be attacked all the time for one thing or another. There was a time in my life where I thought, I'm going to shut up so I can answer these questions really, really smart and say everything really correctly and never get myself into trouble. But if I did that. I'd be a terrible actor and a terrible person, because I'm so focused on myself, and presenting a self to the world, that I wouldn't be able to share much or do anything or be relaxed at all. So, instead, I'm completely who I am and people can take it one way or the other, but I'm at least living honestly." Sticks And Stones "I can be as dark as anybody. but I also like people. If anybody ever said that I said something bad about somebody - that would kill me. Anything else - I don't care what people think about my sex life. They can think I'm weird. That doesn't hurt anybody." Riding Through The Danger Zone "I don't think it's a big secret that I'd rather be dangerous to myself that to other people. And when I go crazy - an dI'm certainly capable of that - I don't lash out at other people, I take it inside. And I'll attack myself first and I'll go into some dark space. And I'd rather be that kin of person." Billy Bob - Or Bust "I'm not a good wife. I'm a good wife to Billy. Somehow it makes perfect sense with him. And he makes perfect sense to me. But otherwise, we're probably not a very good husband and wife. Together, we make sense." The Supreme Court Of Public Opinion "I'm always shocked when people respond to things I've done. It's like the whole thing with my brother. I still don't even understand hoe people take things and turn them into.. because they want to turn them into things that are weird and strange and upsetting to people, or controversial. I don't get it at all." And, Finally, The Beaver Thing. "We're very funny. We watch really silly things. We watch Animal Planet, and just eat in bed and laugh till we fall off the bed. You kow, we're best friends. We watched a show about beavers the other night and got so hyper. We love beavers. We wanted to get a beaver for the house, but we can't. We're obsessed with their little tails and the sounds they make. [She wimpers.] Billy said, 'That's the sound you make.' Because I do. He's like 'Oh, my God, you're a fuckin' beaver.'" Roles Of A Lifetime George Wallace "[Cornelia Wallace] had a That Girl hairdo. I was completely comfortable with a beehive and orange nails. I was married to Jonny [Lee Miller], but I was focusing on my career. Doing scenes where Wallace was shot, I wouuld scream, ' My husband, I need to be with my husband.' And yet I would go stay in a hotel, an dI didn't go home to my husband." 1998 Golden Globes "That's me. Extremely confused. My first awards show. And not knowing what just happened. And being happy, because I loved that movie [George Wallace]." Gia "I think she was very lonely even though she was surrounded by people. There's a lot more ot her than people saw. And she had a wild beautiful spirit. Things about her that are probably really, really, crazy to people were, to me, just normal. I just cared about her, She'll always be like a sister to me." 1999 Golden Globes "I was, like putting on a a wardrobe for my idea of what an actress who goes to an awards show. What would she wear? That's probably what I would have picked it I were doing a movie about my life." Pushing Tin "This is just when we were working together and we were becoming friends. And we both find this picture so funny because... look at our eyebrows. We've become the same person. I love wrinkles. I'm very excited to get some. The Bone Collector "I wanted to shop in really bad places and do certain things and not have her hair ever done. And [the people on the movie] kept reminding me that I was, you know, the lead girl in teh film and I couldn't look like shit all the time." Girl, Interrupted "We dyed my [wig], and I cut the bangs myself. There was a description of Lisa in the book, about being half alive, or she's got dead eyes. And I asked wardrobe for all her clothes to be washed out and to match her skin and her eyes, and her hair. So we put white on my eyes; we kind of muted me down completely. And that made my eyes stand out, and she was very much about that." 2000 Academy Awards "I like things that are long and black. And my hair was long and black at the time. And I got a dress at the last minute. Everybody said I was Gothic, an dI didn't even think about that. I thougt it was just a dress that matched my hair, and was a simple one - my hair was straight and simple. I still like it. I, like, never really gave a shit." Orignal Sin "This is us both with shorts on, sitting on really squooshy mats that kept making noises. In a milk bath. It was a beautiful morning in Mexico. So much about this period is something that we don't have, or that we've lost a lot of, which is that real sense of being a woman with a very, very strong man. You know, you bathe in his arms and he smokes a cigar and you giggle and laugh." Tomb Raider "I'm trying to get my head around letting people even see me in that outfit. I feel like I'm in my underwear... You're got a character that has a very strong bustline. She has a huge bustline. She's also strong and a lot of other things. For the longest time, I though, 'Well, I'm not going to get into the short - shorts, and I'm going to ignore the bustline because people are going to attack that.' And I just thought, 'Oh, fuck it. That's why she's funny. And that's not all she is, and they'll get used to that.'" Tres Jolie Who?: Angelina Jolie What? Allure's March cover, photographed by Thompson Where?: Industria studios in Manhattan When?: December 9 2000 Why?: Original Sin, Jolie's new film opens February 23rd. Back in Black: Jolie arrived ten minutes early (at 7:50 A.M.) in a black cashmere sweater, black pants, and black boots. Dark Angel: She had flown in the night before from London, where she is currently filming Tomb Raider (to be released June 2001) with her father, Jon Voight. Special Guest Star: Jolie practically melted when Billy Bob Thorton walked through the studio door for a surprise visit. (He was in manhattan promoting All The Pretty Horses.) The crew cleared out, giving the pair some privacy behind the dressing - room curtain. Afterglow: Makeup artist Laura Mercier applied only one coat of mascara, neutral shades on cheeks and lips, and, on Jolie's lids, a velvety blue hue. Long May It Wave: Hairstylist Serge Normant saturated Jolie's hair with Back to Basics styling gel. Using a large round brush, he blew it dry to achieve the wild and wavy look Jolie requested. He finished with some All Ways Castor Oil for shine. A Simple Plan: Jolie slipped on a black Calvin Klein tank top for the cover shot, saying, "Now, this is me." Gone in 13,200 Seconds: After three hours and 40 minutes, Michael Thompson had his shot. Jolie jumped into a car and headed to the Regency Hotel for a steak lunch with Thorton.