Recently, Sarath Mounh – Angelina Jolie’s friend and former business partner, revealed the reason why the actress adopted Maddox. He revealed that the Hollywood star had tried very hard to become the mother of this Cambodian boy.

Maddox – the eldest son of the Jolie-Pitt family, just celebrated his 20th 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day on August 5 and the story of adopting this famous student was mentioned again. On the Daily Mail recently, Sarath Mounh shared about Angelina Jolie’s journey of adopting a Cambodian orphan in 2002. According to this person, the 7X actress wanted to adopt a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 in Cambodia when she filmed Tomb Raider here in 2000 and fell in love with this land.Sarath Mounh said that the actress had devoted a lot of effort to finding a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 to adopt, she wanted to become a mother, more than anything, to become the mother of a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 in dire need of care. Among hundreds of unfortunate 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, Maddox conquered Angelina Jolie’s heart and made her decide to stick with this special boy.

Sarath Mounh, the man who helped Angelina Jolie adopt Maddox

“He was a bright, sharp, lovely 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 who smiled more than any other 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. I always remember his smiling face,” Mr. Sarath recalled of his first impression of Maddox. “From what I learned from Angelina, when she visited the orphanage and saw Maddox, he smiled at her instead of crying like most other 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. He smiled at Angelina, which touched her heart and that is why she chose Maddox,” he added.

However, Angelina Jolie’s journey to adopt Maddox was not simple. Mr. Sarath Mounh said that the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider star had many difficulties in adopting because she was a foreigner. At that time, the Cambodian government was extremely strict about allowing international adoptions due to concerns about 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 trafficking.

The 1975-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 star had to go through many complicated legal procedures to be able to adopt Maddox.

It was Sarath Mounh who made it easier for the American star to adopt Maddox. The Cambodian man adopted the boy, who was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 2001. Maddox was added to Sarath’s family records as his third 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. He then signed the papers for the Hollywood star to adopt Maddox from him. Having a Cambodian father helped cut down on much of the legal hassles Angelina Jolie faced during the adoption process. Sarath Mounh said he has no regrets about helping the powerful actress through her difficult journey.

Sarath Mounh and Angelina Jolie later became friends when Sarath’s nonprofit worked with the Maddox Jolie Pitt Foundation on conservation issues. Angelina Jolie and her family visited Cambodia for the premiere of her film First They Killed My Father in 2017. The powerful star shared at the time: “I have had a connection to this country for 17 years and I feel like this is my second home. My 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren have a close relationship with many of the 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren here, many of whom are their best friends. Maddox is very happy to be back in his country.”

Maddox is considered by his hometown to be an extremely lucky 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 to be the eldest son of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”.

Sarath Mounh confided: “We Cambodians are proud and happy that Maddox grew up in such a high-class life. Many people in our country do not have that opportunity. We want him to come back and understand our culture better.” He also said that Angelina had planned for her eldest son to return to his homeland to help his fellow countrymen, learn about his heritage, culture and roots. “Maddox is a lucky boy compared to many 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren in Cambodia. It would be good if he came back and helped the community,” said Mr. Sarath.

Recently, Maddox’s adoption became a hot topic when young filmmaker Elizabeth Jacobs was making a documentary exploring the truth about adoption in Cambodia in the 1990s and 2000s titled The stolen 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. She wanted to clarify the situation of poor families in Cambodia who were tricked into selling their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren or had their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren kidnapped for adoption. Sarath Mounh himself is not sure whether Maddox is an orphan or not: “People ask me if Maddox’s parents are still alive but I have no clue.”

Maddox is now an adult, becoming his mother’s emotional support after the broken marriage.

Since becoming the adopted son of Angelina Jolie and later Brad Pitt, Maddox has lived a life of luxury and has been sought after by the media like a star. At the age of 20, the Cambodian-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 boy has become a spiritual support for his mother, helping the 46-year-old star take care of her younger siblings and is currently a student at Yonsei University (South Korea). Maddox is highly regarded by Angelina because he always stands by her side whenever any problem arises and shares many of the same interests as his mother, such as a passion for speed, a love of throwing knives, and a great love for cinema. On the contrary, he has a distant relationship with Brad Pitt.