Pregnant Angelina Steps Out with Marianne Pearl

Melanne Verveer(Chair and Co-CEO), Angelina Jolie, Mariane Perl, Mary Yerrick (Vice Chair and Co-CEO), Alyse Nelson Bloom (President and COO) at an event for Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards held at the Kennedy Center in D.C, April 7, 2008.

Photo: Courtesy of Chris Wright / Vital Voices

A very pregnant Angelina Jolie made a rare red carpet appearance last night, on the arm of her close friend Marianne Pearl, whom she played in the film A Mighty Heart. The pair stepped out for an event benefitting Vital Voices, a non-profit organization training women in 150 countries for leadership.

Marianne—who is half-Cuban—is the wife of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and brutally killed at the hands of the Taliban in Pakistan several years ago. Angelina and Marianne became friends even before filming began on A Mighty Heart, when their sons had playdates together. It's great to see these two determined and powerful women staying in touch, and even using their resources to help other women around the world.

Side note: how amazing does Angelina look with her baby bump and pregnancy glow!