Those Who Wish Me Dead marks Angelina Jolie's return to true onscreen action in more than a decade. But for the actress, the human side of the movie is what drew her to the project, as she reveals in an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the thriller.

"I am drawn to people who have been through something and are broken and then find their way forward and overcome it," Jolie says on set. "As an artist, it's very healing to play people like that. She's been very healing for me, because you just get so broken and then you stand back up."

In Those Who Wish Me Dead, which hails from writer-director Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone), she plays Hannah Faber, a smoke jumper grappling with PTSD after experiencing a tragedy on the job that she personally holds herself responsible for. "She's a very broken person who carries a great deal of guilt," Jolie says.

When Hannah comes across a hapless 12-year-old boy (Finn Little) after he's unwittingly witnessed a murder, she takes it upon herself to protect him from the pursuing hitmen and the fire that soon rages around them. Jolie trained four days a week for the role and did many of her own stunts on set, as well as learning the skills required of a real-life fire jumper.

"On its surface, it feels like a great thriller, a great adventure across an unusual terrain inside a great fire," she explains. "Underneath it, it's a really emotional film. It's about people who have a great impact on each other and change each other. Emotionally and practically, they go through the fire."

Those Who Wish Me Dead is in theaters and streaming on HBO Max on May 14.

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