Angelina Jolie, 49, has ‘grown close’ to a new actor, 21, as she raves about his ‘musical artistry’

Angelina Jolie has bonded with a number of men this year – think rapper Akala, who is traveling the world with the icon while promoting her new film Maria.

Now there is another man who is ‘special’ to the 49-year-old humanist, a source tells DailyMail.com.

This new man in her life is 21-year-old actor Jason Schmidt, who was in the Broadway run of her musical version of The Outsiders.

Although they don’t seem romantic, the two have formed a “strong bond” because she “appreciates how talented and enthusiastic he is about art.”

Not only has Jolie been hanging out with Jason, but earlier this month the Oscar-winning actress hosted him at Atelier Jolie, her craft store in New York City.

And he was happy with the attention; on Instagram he said it was a “beautiful evening.”

Angelina Jolie has become close to me this year. Now there is another man who is ‘special’ to her, a source tells DailyMail.com; he is actor and singer Jason Schmidt

Jolie, Kevin William Paul, Brent Comer, Joshua Boone, Jason Schmidt, Matt Dillon, Brody Grant pose backstage at the musical based on the classic book The Outsiders in NYC in April

At 21, Jason is younger than Angie’s son Maddox, who is 23 years old.

Jason was at Angelina’s AJ store earlier this month when he performed a “private concert” for his friends.

Schmidt wore red as he sang to the crowd during an “intimate” evening; Jolie watched his performance while standing next to son Pax.

She also showed it off on her Atelier Jolie Instagram page.

“Atelier Jolie welcomed Jason Schmidt, known for his role in Broadway’s The Outsiders, for an intimate private concert with close friends and family,” the caption read.

The actor and singer-songwriter debuted his latest single, Growing Up, in a heartfelt set that showcased his musical talent.

Best known for bringing depth and warmth to his characters, Jason is now embarking on a new chapter, charting a path through his music.

‘ Join us in congratulating Jason and listen to his new single via the link in bio. Cover photography: @gilesduley Event photography: @kaitlyclev.’

Here’s a closer look at Schmidt, 21, in NYC in April 2024

Angelina joined the cast; she is pictured just below Jason

The 1983 film starred Patrick Swayze, Dillon, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell and Tom Cruise

The Outsiders musical is based on the 1967 novel by SE Hinton.

The story follows 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis (played by Brody Grant in the original Broadway musical) and his experiences with rival gangs in Oklahoma in the 1960s.

Schmidt plays Sodapop Curtis, Ponyboy’s second-oldest brother.

The 1983 film adaptation was written by Kathleen Rowell, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and led by a star-studded cast including C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise and Sofia Coppola.

The musical originally premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in California before being picked up and brought to New York City to join the official Broadway lineup.

It has won four Tony Awards, including the coveted Best Musical.

Jason loved working with Jolie.

“It was a unique opportunity,” Schmidt told Teen Vogue.

‘Hopefully I can be part of continuous cool things. But I think it is very unique that a musical has such a fan base and such a reach.

“Even some of the best, most successful musicals don’t have these kinds of fans, and that’s a wonderful thing to experience. I think we all felt it, even in La Jolla, when it was a different show. I still thought, ‘Oh yeah, this has the potential to do great things.’

“I’m trying to absorb it as much as I can and ground myself,” he says of the show’s growing popularity and its growing fan base. ‘Individually it’s strange. I’m not going to lie. I’m so excited and excited to see that the fans are being impacted in the same way by the show and by my portrayal of this beautiful character. But I don’t always know how to deal with it either.’

Here he sang at Angelina’s NYC store Atelier Jolie

Angie was with Pax when she saw Jason perform during the ‘intimate’ evening

Here Jason is seen on the far left with his friends at Atelier Jolie

Schmidt grew up in the suburbs of Illinois.

His first theater performance was at the age of nine for the local community theater.

“The community theater did Les Mis,” Schmidt recalls. “My mother said, ‘You have to do one last show and then you can quit.’ And I thought, ‘No, I’m quitting, I’m really done with it.’ I was tired of it. As an athlete you are laughed at for it. And I remember the first time I saw this guy showing up late to high school choir practice and getting ripped off by all the other guys. I remember thinking, ‘Well, I’m going to keep it a secret that I’m doing damn theater then.’ And I did that for a while. I really liked basketball. And until that moment, theater was just for fun and for friends.’

He then went to Carnegie Mellon for theater, but left midway through his freshman year to play Buddy Aldridge in the Paramount+ original Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.

The series premiered in April 2023.

Her next film Maria about opera singer Maria Callas will be released in November

She has been linked to Akala, but people say they are just friends; seen on October 14 in London

“Grease gave me perspective because a lot of people gave us the reading and said, ‘This is going to be huge, get ready for a change in your life,’ things like that,” he says. “So I think from that perspective, and when I went to Outsiders, people said the same thing and I kept saying, ‘Well, I’ll believe it when I see it.’ I had complete confidence in it, but you never know.’

He is also focusing on his music career. His latest single is Growing Up.

“Matt often told me this phrase: ‘Growing up means missing someone everywhere,’” he continues. “In each of these things that I do, Grease, Outsiders, music and moving to these different cities, I meet all these beautiful people, I fall in love with them, and then I move on to the next thing.

‘The move itself, I’m figuring it out – How do I stay connected to people? I think it honestly has a lot to do with choosing the right people, because with my best friends I don’t necessarily call or text them a lot. I think I struggle with being a little lonely, but I’ve learned to invest in the people who are here and to trust the journey I’m on.”