Thursday, March 06, 2014

Angelina Jolie Talks About Doing "Maleficent"

In her first interview about Disney's highly anticipated fantasy "Maleficent", star Angelina Jolie spoke with EW about playing the memorable villain in the film.

Written by Linda Woolverton the film takes "Sleeping Beauty" and switches the focus to the evil Queen (Angelina Jolie) of the story. The story "reveals the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse the baby, Aurora (Vivienne Jolie-Pitt)".

Elle Fanning would play the older version of the somnolent Princess Aurora Miranda Richardson is set for the part of Queen Ulla, who has a less than peachy relationship with her niece Maleficent. India Eisley will appear in the first act of Maleficent as a younger version of Jolie’s character, establishing her place in the fairy kingdom’s hierarchy. Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville , meanwhile, will play Knotgrass and Flittle. They comprise two of the three pixies who take care of Aurora. Sam Riley has been cast as Diaval, Maleficent’s right-hand man — or rather, right-hand raven who can take human form. Sharlto Copley will play King Stefan. Aussie actor Brenton Thwaites is playing the handsome Prince. Kenneth Cranham co-stars.

"Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland" production designer Robert Stromberg directed the film.

Filmmaker John Lee Hancock ("The Blind Side," "Saving Mr. Banks") was brought in to help with some reshoots. Hancock wrote several new scenes that were shot and he will oversee with Stromberg.

Don Hahn Joe Roth and the late Richard D. Zanuck produce the film.

"Maleficent" is set to arrive in theaters on May 30th, 2014.


Jolie says of the character: "It is really funny when people say you'd be obvious for a great villain. The exercise wasn't how can we have fun with a villain? It was: What turns people evil and vile and aggressive and cruel? What could have possibly happened to her?"

She reveals all but one of her children didn't like the idea of her playing the part because the character was s"too scary". Yet it's that journey into darkness that drew her into the role, and it was being able to explain to her children about the true origins of the character that ended up being the reason why she agreed to play the character:

"I said, 'Let me tell you the real story but you can't tell anybody.' So this was my test too, like any parent. The next day, I heard Shiloh getting into a fight with another kid, defending Maleficent, saying, 'You don't understand her!' They got into a bit of an argument and I thought, that's the reason to do the film. When that character makes mistakes - which Maleficent does, and crosses many lines - you want them to be angry at her and concerned and confused and in the end, somehow understand something that they didn't know before."

The one child who wasn't scared by Jolie's black outfit was Vivienne Jolie-Pitt who ended up being cast as the young Sleeping Beauty "out of necessity".

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