Hollywood Mommies Stole the Show at Cannes

CANNES, May 26, 2008 — -- For celebrities who want to seduce the red carpet paparazzi, the latest trend at Cannes this year was motherhood.

Angelina Jolie's pregnancy-chic made it to the tabloid front pages, while other famous mothers gave TV interviews revealing details of their most important roles -- moms.

Celebrity spotters loved the new maternal icons. Even fashion houses accepted the challenge by choosing to dress the round bodies.

Many actresses have taken breaks from their work since becoming pregnant. From British actress Kate Winslet to Mrs. Tom Cruise Katie Holmes to France's own Vanessa Paradis, all have abruptly stopped their careers to focus on family.

Gwyneth Paltrow just returned from her own pregnancy pause and at a press conference at Cannes she expressed her fears about coming back.

"I really did not know if there would be a place for me anymore. … Especially if you're a woman and especially if you're not 25. … Hollywood is pretty cut-throat and everybody's got a short memory. There's always somebody younger, or hotter, or prettier or whatever."

During this year's Film Festival, which wrapped up Sunday night, a new kind of woman emerged: a powerful person who doesn't hide motherhood but instead makes it a part of her glamour and success.

The most famous bump in the world this year garnered more attention from photographers than anyone else. Jolie's fame as a mother almost overshadowed her career as an actress. In Cannes, she has brought together her two public faces.

Pregnant with twins, Jolie was in Cannes to present her latest movie, "The Changeling" by Clint Eastwood. In the movie Jolie plays Christine Walters, a Los Angeles mother who fights against a corrupt police force to find her son after he vanishes suddenly.

A few newspapers have been betting on her winning the award for best actress. At a news conference, Jolie told reporters that the story of the movie hit close to home. "As a mother, it is a very difficult thing," she said. I can't imagine anything worse than losing a child, especially not knowing the fate of that child."

Her appearance on the red carpet attracted photographers and also roused warm cheering among onlookers outside the barrier.

Julie Dupont told ABC News that in the film Jolie "ends up showing another part of herself. She used to be an aggressive beauty in Lara Croft, Tomb Rider or Mr. and Mrs. Smith; now she is sweeter, even softer, more complete. It is just another way to see her."

University student Imane Bourriaux said, "We adore her because she acknowledges her pregnancy. But I guess she knows very well how to take advantage of her fame."

But Jolie is not the only one to set and follow this trend.

On the seventh floor of the Carlton Hotel, Cate Blanchett, in a simple black dress, her shoulder-length hair very blonde and her face very pale, told ABC's "Good Morning America" her plans to slow down her movie career, citing her children's needs.

She has moved back to Sydney, Australia from Brighton, U.K. to give her children a sense of stability.

She even takes her kids to movie sets like Indiana Jones: "The boy would come on set and there was a day when Steven even let them direct me. He gave them a big megaphone and they called action."

As a mother, Blanchett doesn't lose her appeal with some of her admirers. Antoine Jovene told ABC News that "Her Motherhood confirms her to be a mature woman, it adds to her charm."

But some raise the point that she is no longer a woman you can dream about. "She has a family, she is not available anymore for me," said Luc Bertrand, half-joking.

Nevertheless, motherhood seems to no longer be an obstacle to these celebrities' public image.

According to Anne Crozat, press officer for "Changeling," "Women are now more powerful. Clearly showing their motherhood is a new way to assess the woman's control over her body and image."

And Hollywood's new heroines are led the charge at Cannes.