Angelina Jolie’s new film as director, First They Killed My Father, will be a departure for her - it’s set in a foreign country, is about living under oppressive rule, and stars untrained child actors. But how she cast her young actors is attracting controversy.
In her interview to Vanity Fair, in which Jolie spoke about her life after breaking up with husband Brad Pitt and her health troubles, the actor’s casting methods are also revealed.
Jolie wanted to find children who had experienced real hardship in their lives, and devised a game to find the perfect actor.
“In order to find their lead, the casting directors set up a game: they put money on the table and asked the child to think of something she needed the money for, and then to snatch it away. The director would pretend to catch the child, and the child would have to come up with a lie,” the article said.
{{/usCountry}}“In order to find their lead, the casting directors set up a game: they put money on the table and asked the child to think of something she needed the money for, and then to snatch it away. The director would pretend to catch the child, and the child would have to come up with a lie,” the article said.
{{/usCountry}}Jolie eventually settled on Sareum Srey Moch because she was “the only child that stared at the money for a very, very long time. When she was forced to give it back, she became overwhelmed with emotion. All these different things came flooding back. When she was asked later what the money was for, she said her grandfather had died, and they didn’t have enough money for a nice funeral.”
First They Killed My Father will be released on Netflix, like Brad Pitt’s last film, War Machine. Her son, Maddox, was adopted from Cambodia, and the country holds a special place in Jolie’s heart.
Follow @htshowbiz for more