How Angelina Jolie Posed For National Geographic Surrounded By 60,000 Live Bees
Video screenshot by National Geographic via Guerlain
Hollywood hotshot and humanitarian Angelina Jolie could have posed for a regular photo shoot with bees CGIed in, à la cinematic effects in Maleficent, but her latest stint with National Geographic saw her being covered in live honey bees instead.
The stirring image, shot by acclaimed photographer Dan Winters, is a clear homage to the famous 1981 Richard Avedon portrait, The Beekeeper, though it also aims to raise awareness about bees and beekeepers. Winters himself is a beekeeper, so he had some ideas about how to create an unthreatening environment for both Jolie and the swarm ball of 60,000 bees in front of her.
Jolie’s skin was applied with special “queen pheromones” that attracted the bees and replicated a natural environment. As advised by Winters, the actress also walked into the shoot unshowered, since bees are known to attack scents. “You need to smell like an organism,” the photographer told her.
The room was kept silent and fairly dark so as not to provoke the honey bees.
Jolie was the only person on set, aside from the photographer, who wasn’t wearing a protective suit, and yet she took on the challenge in a manner that Winters would describe as “some kind of fearless.” Even when a bee went under her dress and climbed up her unprotected thigh, the photographer said she “never once even flinched.”
The actress stayed composed for all 18 minutes of the shoot, like the queen bee she is known to be.
Angelina Jolie - Women for BeesGo behind-the-scenes of Guerlain muse Angelina Jolie's stunning bee shoot with National Geographic, shot world renowned photographer Dan Winters. Hundreds of live bees cover Angelina's upper body in the striking shot, which aimed to recreate the iconic 1981 Richard Avedon portrait “The Beekeeper". The secret: dabbing specific pheromones across the actress' skin to ensure that the bees didn't feel threatened. The shoot used the same pheromones and playbook formulated for Avedon’s portrait exactly 40 years earlier, with Winters carefully photographing Angelina at one with bees in California. The portrait honors both Avedon and his photography while bringing awareness to bees and beekeepers everywhere.
Posted by Guerlain on Friday, May 21, 2021
[via National Geographic, video and cover image via Guerlain]
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