Angelina Jolie In 'Parade': Why Brad And I Are Together

Angelina Jolie covers this weekend's Parade magazine, and in the interview is asked straight-up whether she and Brad are only together for the sake of their six children. She nicely says no and goes on to talk about her love for Brad, life as a mom and unlocking her "cage."

Angelina is promoting 'Salt,' out July 23. Here are some excerpts from the interview, read more here.

On whether she and Brad are together for the kids' sake:
"The children certainly tie us together, but a relationship won't hold if it's only about the kids. You also must be really interested in each other and have a really, really wonderful, exciting time together. We do. Brad and I love being together. We enjoy it. We need it, and we always find that special time. We stay connected. We talk about it. It's very important. If Brad and I are strong and happy, then our kids have happy parents, and that's the best thing we can give them." She adds, "Brad knows me completely, exactly as I am, every part of me. He loves me. The kids love me. They know all my flaws and all my oddities. And they accept them. And so I can feel complete."

On love:
"I feel sad for someone who has never known love. Love elevates. You know, Brad would joke about me having this conversation about love. Love? It's such a funny word. Brad can find certain phrases of poetry for it. I'm terrible at it. But I know it means wanting the best for the people you love, putting their interests above your own, always. Love does that. Love is what you live for."
On her life as a mom:
"There's never a period when Brad and I are pulled apart. We are not separated for more than three days, ever. We stay really connected. We actually don't go out much. It's funny. We're very homebound. We're very much Mommy and Daddy in our pajamas."

On her rebellious past:
"I went through a period when I felt my film characters were having more fun than I was. It might partly explain why I ended up tattooed or doing certain extreme things in my life." She points out an inscription on her arm, one of her 13 tattoos. "The wild heart caged. I unlocked my cage years ago. I want my children to have that freedom. I want that for other people, too."