Angelina Jolie weaves her magic in Shanghai
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E-mail CRI, June 4, 2014
Actress Angelina Jolie said she was a bit "shy" in taking the title role of the wicked fairy in "Maleficent" during a visit to Shanghai on Tuesday (June 3) to promote the movie.
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American actress Angelina Jolie meets the media on the Bund in east China's Shanghai, June 3, 2014. [Photo: Xinhua] |
In taking her fist major acting role in years, the star had previously said that she had wanted to do something "crazy and silly" to counter the more serious parts of her life, and that her idea of fun was to play a 'baddie' who looks frightening to children.
Malificent is one of Disney's most popular villains since she appeared as the wicked fairy in the 1959 animated feature "Sleeping Beauty," in which she casts an evil spell on the princess.
"The idea of playing this character scared me a bit because she was somebody I loved as a child and I also just thought this is such a big performance, such a big voice. There is no half way to go about playing somebody like this. So as an artist, I was a bit shy to take it on and I thought that's why I needed to. I read the script and I was extremely moved. I thought it was just one of the best scripts I've read," Jolie told reporters in Shanghai.
The modern reimagining of that fairytale in "Maleficent" allows Jolie to show the hurt that sparked her character's evil side and how she overcomes it.
The film also marked the acting debut of Jolie's five-year-old daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, who plays the young Princess Aurora.
"We, Brad and I, never had intentions of turning our children into actors. When I was on set, I was I think quite physically scary for children. And when little children would come to set and they would see me in person, they would cry. And one little kid actually froze for a good five minutes and just stared at me. And so we realised that it would be very hard for a young actor, actress to do that scene where she has to like me so much because little kids really were not having that reaction to me. But Vivienne, of course, doesn't see a monster. She only sees her mommy. So she was really - and happened to look like Aurora. So she was really the only child that would do it and it was so much fun for me to be able to have the chance to work with her and play with her," said Jolie.
Jolie also pre-celebrated her 39th birthday, which falls on Wednesday (June 4), at the news conference with a cake that featured a miniature Maleficent figure.
The film, a big Walt Disney Co production that cost $200 million, opened last Friday (May 30) in U.S. theatres and the studio has launched an ambitious marketing campaign that includes Maleficent lines of MAC Cosmetics and clothing and shoes by designer Stella McCartney.
The movie will be screened in mainland Chinese cinemas from June 20.
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