These days, actress Angelina Jolie is enjoying her time spent behind the camera more than her time spent in front of it. According to Vanity Fair, she fought to direct last year's Louis Zamperini biopic "Unbroken," which chronicles the former Olympian's life and time spent imprisoned by Japanese forces during WWII. She also has another directorial project lined up titled "By the Sea," in which both she and husband Brad Pitt star.

Jolie said of her transition from actress to director, "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."

People Magazine reports that Jolie lost her mother to ovarian cancer in 2007, which helps to explain why she no longer covets being in the spotlight.

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... than be dainty in front of the cameras."

Time well spent with loved ones is also precious to Jolie. She has said it took some time for her to find a "real man" to spend the rest of her life with, stating, "At 20, we're all looking for Prince Charming, the big handsome hunk, only we're generally disappointed because of his instability. At 40, you know what you want: a real man."

Luckily, she found her "real man" in handsome husband Brad Pitt, and they now share a large and happy family. Jolie said of her wedding, "It wasn't a wedding in grand style, but we were all very at ease, very cool... It was absolutely adorable to see how excited [our children] were by the idea, and how much they were all involved."

Be on the lookout for "By the Sea," which is scheduled to debut sometime this year!