His first red carpet appearance was in 2004 for his mum’s film Shark Tale, where his faux hawk hairdo and undeniable charisma stole the show at the 61st Venice Film Festival. But his public outings were limited until 2009 when he attended the premiere of Invictus with his reportedly estranged father Brad Pitt.

But in recent years, Maddox seems to be coming out of his shell more, becoming a permanent fixture at his mum’s film premieres, from attending Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Marvel’s Eternals to his recent White House appearance.

So, what has Angelina Jolie’s first son been up to in 2023?

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Maddox Jolie-Pitt’s White House appearance

On April 26, Angelina and Maddox made a rare public appearance attending a state dinner hosted by President Joe Biden at the White House in honour of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee.

The mother-son duo turned heads with their elegant white-and-black outfits, with Angelina wearing a dress made for her many years ago and a vintage Chanel jacket, while Maddox opted for a stylish suit, as reported by Elle.

The event was particularly poignant for Maddox, who has strong ties to South Korea, having studied there. Relations between Asia and the US are also reportedly important to the whole family, per People.

Angelina has visited South Korea several times, most recently in 2019 when Maddox started at Yonsei University, and then in 2018 when she met with refugees on behalf of the UN Refugee Agency. Her book on youth rights, co-authored with Amnesty International, Know Your Rights (and Claim Them), was also published in South Korea last year, per the same source.

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His experimental hairstyles

Maddox’s hairstyles have been making headlines, too. He rocked a buzz cut at his mum’s Eternals premiere in 2021, but he sported a shaggy style at the White House state dinner, offering a unique contrast.

During quarantine, Maddox let mum Angelina take over his hairstyling needs. The Oscar-winning actress shared a glimpse into her life with British Vogue in 2021, where she gave her then-19-year-old son’s flowing hair a trim.

Apart from showcasing the actress’ new skills, the photo also revealed a hint of Maddox’s large dragon tattoo inked across his right rib cage. Maddox apparently shares this love tattoos with his mum, who has more than a dozen inked all over her body. She also told Radio Times back in 2014 that her children have been asking her about getting a tattoo. “They’re already asking me about tattoos. How do I say no?” she quipped.

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He studies biochemistry and loves K-pop

In 2019, Angelina made headlines when she dropped Maddox off at his new university in Seoul, Korea, and couldn’t hold back her emotions. The mother of six, who was 44 at the time, admitted to having an “embarrass-your-children ugly cry” as she said goodbye to her eldest, who was 18 and intent on studying biochemistry at Yonsei University. And he’s not just there for the academic experience – apparently, he’s also a big fan of the Korean language and K-pop, per Koreaboo. He has even joined one of Yonsei’s most popular clubs, “Ryu”, which stands for “Rap in da Yonsei University”.

However, Maddox returned home and took online classes during the pandemic, as reported by British media.

Angelina herself has also spoken about her fascination for the Korean film industry. During a video press conference for Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021), she expressed her enthusiasm for returning to Korea, saying, “I’m looking forward to the day I go to Korea again. I want to be in a Korean movie if I have the chance,” per AllKpop.

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How Maddox is following in mum Angelina’s Hollywood footsteps

Despite Angelina stating in numerous interviews that she wishes that none of her kids will go into acting, there have been many exceptions. Shiloh had a cameo in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button while Vivienne had a part in Maleficent, among others.

But Maddox seems to have chosen to be behind the camera. In 2015, he worked as a trainee in Angelina’s directorial film By The Sea. Two years later, he was credited as an executive producer for her Netflix film First They Killed My Father in 2017.

And now he is reportedly working on his mum’s fifth directorial project Without Blood with his brother Pax as assistant directors, per People magazine. Angelina told the publication, “We work well together. When a film crew is at its best, it feels like a big family, so it feels natural.”

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He is still estranged from adoptive dad Brad Pitt

In 2021, Maddox testified against his father in court after Angelina made allegations of abuse against him during a private jet incident in September 2016, which led to their high-profile divorce.

According to Us Weekly’s source: “Maddox has already given testimony as an adult in the ongoing custody dispute and it wasn’t very flattering toward Brad.” It seems that Maddox has distanced himself from his father by not using his last name on non-legal documents and expressing a desire to change it to simply Jolie.

However, there seems to be a glimmer of hope to the story. According to OK! magazine, Shiloh wants her parents to forgive each other and reconcile. She is also trying to convince her elder brothers to give Brad another chance, but they’re not interested, the publication reported.

“Shiloh has a tight bond with each of her siblings, and she’s helped them all through the divorce process,” said the source.