Jolie denies controversial casting for 'First They Killed My Father'

Actress Angelina Jolie has refuted a magazines cover story that described a controversial casting process for her movie "First They Killed My Father". She says she is "upset" by the misconstrued report.

According to the cover story by Vanity Fair magazine, Jolie and her casting associates placed money on a table and allowed the children auditioning for the Cambodian film to take it. It claims that after taking the money, the director then "caught" the children, and forced them to explain why they needed the cash.

Srey Moch was ultimately chosen for the part.

Jolie now says that the process described in the profile was misconstrued, reports variety.com.

She says it was "a pretend exercise in an improvisation, from an actual scene in the film".

Jolie noted that she was "upset" by the allegations.

"The suggestion that real money was taken from a child during an audition is false and upsetting. I would be outraged myself if this had happened," she said.

"First They Killed My Father" is based on the 2000 book by Loung Ung. The story is a personal retelling of Ung's survival of the Pol Pot regime. The film will be released on Netflix in September.

--IANS

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