Surprising question hitman asked Angelina Jolie that saved her life after she hired him to kill her

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing

Angelina Jolie once hired a hitman to take her life.

The 49-year-old Hollywood A-lister once opened up about a moment in her life when she considered paying an individual a sum of money to kill her, revealing the surprising question he asked her following her request.

Angelina explained back in 2001 that she believed it would be easier for her family to come to terms with her death if they were under the impression that she had been murdered, instead of her taking her own life.

Angelina Jolie once opened up about hiring a hitman to kill her. (Kevin Winter / Staff / Getty Images)

Speaking to IMDb, she revealed: "This is going to sound insane but there was a time I was going to hire somebody to kill me."

A few years later in 2003, the Girl Interrupted star shared exactly how she found the hitman.

Speaking to The Face, she shared: "They’re not that hard to find in New York. As insane as it sounds, I think a lot of people consider suicide when they’re young.

"I was very aware that so many people around me, like my mother, would feel as though they didn’t give enough or do enough, if I’d taken my own life."

Angelina added: "So my solution to that was if someone else had taken my life – like in a 'robbery' - then it would be murder and it wouldn’t be that anyone would feel they’d let me down."

Opening up about the ins and outs a little further, Angelina recalled that she made a plan to withdraw cash from her account in small instalments to ensure there wasn't a large sum of money being taken out all at once to pay the hitman.

The Tomb Raider star opened up about the 'insane' situation back in the early 2000s. (Gregg DeGuire / Contributor / Getty Images)

Obviously, it didn't end up happening but the reason why may surprise you.

According to the actress, the hitman asked Angelina a question which, in a roundabout way, went on to save her life.

"He was a decent enough person and asked if I could think about it and call him again in two months," she added.

"Something changed in my life and I figured I’d stick it out."

Angelina went on to star in a whole bunch of other blockbuster smash-hits as well as getting involved in a number of humanitarian efforts all while raising six children.

However, the actress is currently embroiled in a messy legal battle with ex-husband Brad Pitt, with her accusing him of 'trying to bleed her dry'.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.