Maria Callas, the soprano often hailed as the voice of the century, lived a life as dramatic and intense as the operas she brought to the stage. With her incredible talent and unyielding ambition, her story is full of soaring triumphs and deep personal struggles. While countless biographies, documentaries, and now a Netflix biopic starring Angelina Jolie have explored her life, there’s one seemingly small detail that’s caught people’s attention: her teeth. But, like everything about Maria Callas, even this detail tells a story—one of transformation, reinvention, and the price of beauty in a demanding world.
Maria Callas’ Teeth Were Part of the Mask She Wore to Cover Her Inner Turmoil—Angelina Jolie Perfectly Captures the Pain Behind Her Smile
Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of Maria Callas in ‘Maria’ (2024) is nothing short of amazing. She nails every little detail, right down to the capped teeth that became part of Callas’s iconic look. Directed by Pablo Larraín, the film dives into the opera singer’s final days in her Paris apartment, where she’s left alone with memories of her legendary career and tumultuous personal life.
Jolie captures Callas’s essence, from her signature smile to the way even small details—such as her teeth—were part of the carefully crafted image of a diva. For Callas, those teeth were more than just cosmetic—they were like a mask, a shiny distraction hiding the deep insecurities and wounds she carried since she was a kid.
Maria Callas, born Sophie Cecilia Kalogeropoulos on December 2, 1923, didn’t exactly have a storybook start. Her Greek immigrant parents in New York were grieving the loss of their son and barely paid attention when she came along. Her mother, Litsa, had massive dreams for Maria right from the get-go, pushing her into music but piling on demands that often felt more like exploitation than encouragement.
As a teen, Maria moved to Athens with her mom and sister after her parents split up. Life wasn’t easy—poverty and the chaos of World War II were constant struggles. To make matters worse, Litsa’s abusive behavior didn’t let up. Through it all, Maria’s incredible talent became both a blessing and a curse. She even ended up singing for German soldiers to help support her family—a choice that haunted her for the rest of her life.
After the war, Maria Callas returned to the U.S., ready to make a name for herself in opera. But it wasn’t easy—opportunities were slim, and people often criticized her looks, which didn’t fit the glamorous image the industry wanted. At one point, she weighed over 200 pounds, and her first husband, Giovanni Battista Meneghini, even cruelly called her “clumsy” and said she “dressed like a dog.” Despite all that, Maria’s voice was incredible—a true powerhouse that started wowing audiences in Europe. Still, she knew talent alone wouldn’t cut it in a world where looks mattered almost as much as sound.
This was the turning point for Maria’s physical transformation. She went all-in on a dramatic weight-loss journey, dropping nearly 90 pounds in less than two years with the help of iodine injections and strict, almost destructive, eating habits. The changes didn’t stop there—her face transformed too, thanks to rumored surgeries to refine her features and, most famously, to cap her teeth.
The dental work not only gave her a perfect smile but became a symbol of her complete reinvention—from an unnoticed soprano to a style icon. Her capped teeth gave her a bold, glowing smile that mesmerized audiences and cemented her image as the ultimate prima donna. It’s this very detail that Angelina Jolie nails in ‘Maria,’ capturing just how far Callas went to craft her legendary persona.
Angelina Jolie stars in the official trailer for #Maria.
The Pablo Larraín film is in select theaters November 27 and on Netflix December 11. pic.twitter.com/COMjcKBZBX
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) October 24, 2024
But behind her glamorous image, Maria Callas was falling apart. The extreme weight loss and demands of her career took a serious toll on her health, leading to vocal issues that critics and fans didn’t hold back from criticizing. Her personal life was just as messy. After an unfulfilling marriage to Meneghini, she got involved in a stormy affair with Aristotle Onassis, the famous Greek shipping tycoon. Their relationship was passionate but toxic, filled with his infidelity and verbal abuse. Even though they had a strong bond, Onassis eventually left her to marry Jacqueline Kennedy, a betrayal that left Callas heartbroken.
In her later years, Maria Callas faced loneliness, struggled with addiction, and battled a neuromuscular disorder that took a toll on her famous voice. She pulled away from the world, her days filled with regret and a deep sense of loss. “I’ve lost everything,” she said once. “My voice is gone, it seems. I don’t have a man; I don’t have children. Isn’t it funny?” Her words capture the heartbreak of a woman who poured everything into her art, only to find herself with nothing when the spotlight dimmed.
The production design of MARIA. By Guy Hendrix Dyas.
Directed by Pablo Larraín and starring Angelina Jolie. Now playing on Netflix in the US. pic.twitter.com/tGtBUMPCU1
— Netflix (@netflix) December 13, 2024
Angelina Jolie’s performance in ‘Maria’ is a heartfelt nod to the many layers of Maria Callas’s life, capturing both her larger-than-life presence and her deeply human struggles. The film dives into the sacrifices Callas made for her art—facing constant public scrutiny and reshaping herself, often at the cost of her health and happiness. Even something as small as her capped teeth becomes symbolic of that transformation—a reminder that behind every radiant smile is a story of pain, grit, and an unrelenting drive for perfection.
Maria Callas’s life was, in many ways, an opera in itself: filled with soaring triumphs, devastating betrayals, and an ending steeped in tragedy. Her legacy lives on, not just in her iconic recordings but in the legend she built—a diva who lived with all the drama of her art. Now, with Angelina Jolie bringing her story to life for a new generation, Callas’s voice and spirit continue to inspire, breaking through the boundaries of time.
‘Maria’ is streaming on Netflix.
