Angelina Jolie prefers to spend her time "doing things that actually matter in the world."

At the beginning of her stardom, Angelina lived a fast-paced Hollywood life. She was known for her passionate affairs and for bringing vials of her lover's blood to red carpet events.

After being exposed to social conflict while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in Cambodia in 2001, Angelina's perspective on life altered drastically.

Us Weekly reports that the star, who is now a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), appreciates the way that she has matured.

"I'm very lucky... I have a real view of the real world," Angelina said in an interview in Berlin, Germany for the 62nd Berlinale International Film Festival. "I'm very happy inside the real world. Without the balance of doing things that actually matter in the world -- and being part of the real world -- then I would have been left in a bubble. That would have felt very empty and I probably would have just had a very shallow, horrible life."

Angelina is thankful for the work she does with UNHCR. She is inspired by the courageous stories of people who have survived conflict.

"[I am] welcomed into areas of the world where I see people and work with people who are survivors of war," Angelina explained. "I'm very touched and very moved by people and what they overcome. They have always reminded me to just wake up in the morning and be grateful that your children are healthy. Nothing else matters."

The 36-year-old actress has six children with her partner of nearly seven years actor Brad Pitt.

Angelina was appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in 2001.

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