Angelina Jolie has revealed that she took the decision to turn away from acting following the death of her mother.

In an interview with French magazine Dandy, the 39 year old actress admitted that her real interests laid elsewhere after her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, passed away from ovarian cancer in 2007.

Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie spoke to Dandy magazine about her plans for the future

When she was asked about the motivation behind her decision to leave the big screen altogether, Jolie replied “It's somewhat personal. When my mother died, I realized how much my being an actress was linked to her desire to be an actress herself, and especially what satisfaction it brought her when she saw me onscreen. Once she was gone, I didn't feel the same attraction for it.”

She continued: “What I really like is to be behind the camera, to put others into the light. Being in the spotlight's shine doesn't interest me. I prefer to have my head almost underwater.”

More: Angelina Jolie visits Iraqi refugee camp, meets with ISIS victims

Recently, Jolie has spoken of her desire to direct films – she directed and produced the acclaimed Unbroken last year - and focus on her humanitarian work. In January she visited Iraqi refugees and met victims of ISIS, and in February she launched an agency which aims to prevent violence against women in warzones.

Jolie last appeared on the silver screen in 2014’s Maleficent, and is due to star in the upcoming drama By The Sea alongside husband Brad Pitt, which she wrote and is directing.

She’s not confirmed if this appearance will be her last, but a glance at her filmography certainly shows a dip in her output since 2007. Since the turn of the decade, she has only been credited in three movies – starring in Salt and the aforementioned Maleficent, and a voice credit for Kung Fu Panda 2.

More: Angelina Jolie launches U.K. centre that aims to prevent warzone violence against women