Angelina Jolie ready to end 'lockdown' a year after split from Brad Pitt

— -- Nearly a year after her split from Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie is finally ready to end her family's "lockdown" and return to the spotlight.

In a new exclusive interview with People magazine, Jolie opened up about her "difficult" year, which she said made her stronger.

"I think they’re itching to get out in the world again," she said about her six children, who recently accompanied her to the premiere of her latest film, "First They Killed My Father."

"We’ve all been a bit in lockdown and going through some things. I think it would be good to get out there and play together," she said.

Jolie said her children were her priority after filing for divorce from Pitt on Sept. 19, 2016.

"I have had my ups and downs. I guess I am a little bit stronger," she said. "We all have our difficult times, but as a mother you also have a responsibility first and foremost towards the kids. They are going through their formative years and everything else comes second to that."

Jolie put her career on hold to help them through the last year, and though she's ready to take on new projects, including "Maleficent 2," her children's well-being remains top priority.

"I haven’t worked for over a year now because they needed me home. Everything was just stopped," she said. I’m really sitting and talking with them because everything affects them. Every location, every type of project, I’m going to have to adjust it to however much they can handle."