Angelina Jolie has been the face of Guerlain for years now, and that job came with an additional title: Guerlain’s Godmother of the Women for Bees Program. That job is probably why she agreed to the Guerlain gig in the first place. Angelina is all about bees and resuscitating the bee population, which is in decline. She wants women to get more involved in beekeeping and being generally friendly to the bee population. To promote the Women for Bees Program, Angelina chatted with Elle Magazine. Some highlights from this excellent piece:

She’s always liked bees: “I have always liked bees. I’ve never had a fear of bees, and I’m not allergic. I tend to lean toward the creatures in the world that are a little bit misunderstood. But I have grown in my admiration and respect for these beautiful little creatures over the years, as I’ve gotten to know more about their importance—the way they exist in community and what they contribute to our lives.”

Her interconnected work in Cambodia: “[I learned more about bees] in Cambodia. I have a home and a project [through the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation] where I’ve been working with communities, and looking after the forests and the protection of land and wildlife for over 20 years. I started it a long time ago in a place in Samlout, which was the first and last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge. It was a very heavily mined area on the border of Thailand. My son [Maddox] is Cambodian, and initially I thought that I would work in this area on de-mining, and learn a bit about the local people. I hoped to contribute in a good way and just be a good neighbor. Then I learned more about deforestation and the threats to the environment. Now the project has grown, and we’re working with the rangers and the protection groups to better understand what it means as it relates to biodiversity. What is in danger? When you live hand in hand with the local farmers, you learn that bees are essential to pollinating. [Beekeeping] is a very good skill and livelihood for a lot of the farmers we work with.”

A Mayan bee mission: “Recently, we were with the Mayan women in the Santa Clara community. When you discuss pollination and biodiversity, it very quickly ties to a culture of people, a history. Mayan communities have hives, and they use the honey for medicinal purposes, for beauty, and as a food. My job is to be a part of the training, and to bring people together and to participate and help support it. Sometimes, it’s working to get an education myself on the cultural heritage, the community, and the environment, and also to educate others on what I’m learning. I also get to work on training with little kids, and we get to talk about bees and do ‘bee school.’ It’s wonderful.”

On personal beekeeping: “I do bee-keep at our home in Cambodia. In Los Angeles, I have adapted my garden for the bees, with flowers and plants that are rich in pollen and nectar.”

What she thinks of self-care: “It’s not the center of my day. But I think education is an important part of self-care. That’s where I’m happiest. If I feel that I’ve enriched my mind or a relationship with somebody through something I’ve learned or experienced, then I feel that I’m growing. For me personally, I don’t wake up and have a real self-care agenda, like what is often considered self-care today. I think it’s wonderful for people who can do that or if that is their way. Everybody has their own version. I like to feel like I’m growing emotionally or intellectually—that’s my self-care. So I guess I do [it], but it’s not so much a face cream.”

[From Elle]

Her answer about self-care is so real and so blunt. She’s like, I don’t have time for mindfulness, I’m too busy educating myself about bees and refugees. Still, I would love to know what face cream she uses?? Her skin glows like she’s being lit from within. It’s probably not a drugstore brand, sob. I also loved her answer about how her work in Cambodia has shifted over time – I remember when she first bought that huge tract of land in Cambodia and the biggest effort was de-mining the property. Then came community healthcare and environmental preservation, and now pollination. It’s fascinating. “When you discuss pollination and biodiversity, it very quickly ties to a culture of people, a history.” I’ve truly never thought about it in those terms. Angelina is so f–king cool.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.