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At a time when being controversial for most young actresses means wearing Galliano instead of Prada, Jolie is a shot of adrenaline, and Hollywood is growing addicted. She has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her Girl, Interrupted performance, has just finished shooting a film with Nicolas Cage and is scheduled to begin another with Antonio Banderas next month.
"She's a female James Dean for our time," says Columbia Pictures chairwoman Amy Pascal, whose studio backed Girl, Interrupted. "I'd make any movie with her in it. I begged her to do the film version of Charlie's Angels. But she's no angel."
And Dean may not be the best role model for her either: he died in an auto crash when he was 24. "I'll probably live to be a ripe old age," Jolie says, laughing, when asked about her mortality. Later, to underscore her good intentions, she describes how she welcomed in the New Year. "I had a great time," she deadpans. "I was asleep."