Angelina Jolie has recently been snapped in less than glamorous poses, but that comes with the territory. She's making her directorial debut in Europe, and has ditched elegant duds in favor of a utilitarian black coat for the film, which centers on a love story involving a Serbian man and a Bosnian woman in the lead-up to the 1992 Bosnian war.

The December cover of Vogue catches the 35-year-old back in bewitching form, wearing a black bustier and white satin shawl, with the tattoo on her upper back exposed. In the accompanying interview, conducted before she jetted off to shoot the untitled Bosnian love story, Jolie opens up about her attraction to Brad Pitt, how her children have inspired her philanthropic efforts, and the odd time when daughter Shiloh asked if she could have a dead pet.

"Shiloh found a dead bird, so she came in and said, 'Can I have a dead pet?' " Jolie said. "And I'm ... 'Uh-uh, I don't think it's healthy, honey. I think they have to put him in a box,' and I had to run out to find, like, a taxidermy bird. I just worked it out for her. ... I figured that I couldn't keep the actual dead bird from the yard, so I swayed her toward one that had been cleaned, at least."

The Vogue photo spread captures the actress-turned-director in a variety of color and black-and-white looks: a vaguely Victorian pose with Jolie in a white bustier, fixing her hair; a look that calls to mind a chess board, as she strides forward in a windblown magenta dress; a luminously lit picture of calm, Jolie glittering in gold and earth tones while relaxing on a lounge chair.

Now that's the Angelina we know. And she opened up about the Pitt we know too. "Well, he's a handsome man," she said. "No, I think he's an extremely sexy -- extremely handsome and the most sexy [man] ... When I think about him, I just think of the man who's such a great friend and such an extraordinary father. And that's when I fall, you know, when I have my moments of getting -- whoarr! -- caught up in how much I love him ... it's usually when I see him with the children."

About their children, Jolie said that they have helped her establish a connection to children around the world and inspired her philanthropic endeavors, such as the one that had her traveling to Pakistan after a devastating flood.

"My children are from the countries that I work in," she explained. "I don't see my family as a global family. I don't see it separate. So when I look at my kids, and I wake up and hear something's happening in Pakistan, I think: It's Asians, and my children are from that part of the world. Those kids are very much like my kids. So I'm happy to be able to go."

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