Why Angelina Jolie is perfect for Maleficent
LOS ANGELES (WABC) -- Maleficent is a new take on the legend of Sleeping Beauty told from the perspective of the title character - a sorceress described as the "mistress of all evil." It's a role tailor made for Angelina Jolie, as I found out recently when I sat down to talk with the star in Los Angeles.
Many little girls who encounter the legend of Sleeping Beauty for the first time are naturally drawn to the beauty, but not young Angelina Jolie. Her favorite character was the one she plays in the new film.
"I was afraid of her a bit, but I was really, really drawn to her," she said. "I was teased (in school). I wasn't teased for my braces, but I was teased cause I was a punk. I was kind of like before it was cool to have purple hair and I was proud of who I was, but I was different."
Just as the evil Maleficent is different from the good princess.
"Now, of course with her the lesson that children will learn is that when you are abused, the answer is not to abuse someone else," Jolie said.
In costume, the actress was scary enough to make children cry at the sight of her on-set, which is how Jolie's own 4 year old daughter, Vivenne, came to be cast opposite her.
"We had to cast a child who would not see me as a monster, and the only child was mine," she said.
Her husband Brad Pitt and their other children showed up too.
"And all Vivienne had to do was run across a field and chase a butterfly, but of course, being four she just decided she didn't want to," Jolie said.
That's how come one of the world's most famous couples got to act like frazzled parents for real.
"We danced. We jumped. We were like clowns for four hours to try and get this little girl to just do it," Jolie said.
Brad and Angelina are seen on the outtakes jumping in and out of frame. They were erased later using digital technology.
Maleficent, which is in theaters everywhere on Friday, is from Disney, owned by the same parent company as ABC-TV.
WATCH SANDY'S FULL INTERVIEW WITH ANGELINA JOLIE:
