In 2014, Angelina Jolie took the lead on the famed fantasy film Maleficent. The villainous role she brought to life became an iconic part of pop culture, first introduced in the animated version of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, released back in 1959. Recently, a viral post shared to Reddit peeled back a layer of this film, revealing an adorable tidbit about the movie’s casting. While it was Elle Fanning who played Aurora in the 2014 blockbuster, when it came time to cast the young version of her character, they ran into an issue: most of the child actors were too afraid of Maleficent’s menacing look and scary costume. Who stepped in to save the day, you ask? Jolie’s own daughter, Vivienne Jolie (who recently dropped “Pitt” from her former last name, Jolie-Pitt).
Angelina Jolie had her real daughter act in Maleficent because all the other kids were too scared
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Vivienne Jolie in ‘Maleficent’
Despite the fact that the youngster wasn’t frightened by Jolie knowing it was her mother underneath all of the makeup and costuming, that doesn’t mean her big-screen moment was a walk in the park. “The first day was the day she had to catch the butterfly, and she just really didn’t feel like doing it,” said Angelina Jolie at a Disney press event, as reported by ABC News. On top of that, the young Jolie needed a little boost from her dad and siblings off-screen, her mom shared.
“I actually was holding the pole with the ball on the end and bouncing up and down and dancing, trying to make her laugh, and daddy was on the edge of the cliff she had to jump off, making faces and all her brothers and sisters were egging her on,” she shared. “She eventually did it but she was taking her sweet time and not wanting to do it twice, certainly.”
Despite the fact that her mother and father are two of the most famous faces in Hollywood, Jolie was clear in the fact that it isn’t something they push for their children. “We think it’s fun for our kids to have cameos and join us on set, but not to be actors. That’s not our goal, for Brad and I, at all,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “But the other three and four-year-old [performers] wouldn’t come near me. It had to be a child that liked me and wasn’t afraid of my horns and my eyes and my claws. So it had to be Viv.”
Is Vivienne Jolie an actress?
Though it isn’t unusual for kids of famous actors and actresses to follow in their parents’ footsteps, Vivienne is seemingly forging her own path these days, though not entirely out of show business. The 16-year-old has been a passionate fan of theater, and in 2024, was credited on the Playbill for the Broadway musical adaptation of The Outsiders, in which her mother produced.
“Viv reminds me of my mother in that she isn’t focused on being the center of attention but in being a support to other creatives,” said Jolie in a statement to PEOPLE. “She’s very thoughtful and serious about theater and working hard to best understand how to contribute.”
Keep your eyes peeled to see what’s next for Vivienne Jolie!
