During one of Italy's most prestigious film festivals, the 81st Venice Film Festival, Hollywood star and humanitarian Angelina Jolie had an appealing touch with a fan over her upcoming biopic "Maria". However, this did not spare her from online scrutiny.
Jolie was seen, in her champagne-colored gown, bending to meet a bedridden fan suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. She spent a few minutes with the said fan, talking and giving words of encouragement to her.
However, the move received divided reaction among netizens as many thought it was staged for publicity.
One user commented: "I feel this is inappropriate."
Another said: "She thinks she is Mother Teresa."
A third asked: "Did she stage this? Or is it real?"
One netizen simply claimed: "All for the cameras."
Another suggested that Jolie could have done a house visit to the fan private, sans cameras, saying: "She could have just gone to the person's home and done this without the cameras around. I guess it's innocent Angelina Jolie."
Another said, "She should have gone to see him. That's too much."
Dressed in a gown designed by Tamara Ralph, Jolie looked every inch the star as she worked the red carpet before the film screening began. Draped details cascaded down to a short train, and she completed her look with an elegant faux-fur stole and a gold floral pin. Her hair cascaded down freely as she finished the look with makeup-smoky eyes and bold, red lip.
Jolie's "Maria," a biopic of the legendary opera singer Maria Callas, is written and directed by Pablo Larraín and produced from Fremantle. Also starring in the film are Valeria Golino as Callas's sister Yakinthi and Haluk Bilginer as Aristotle Onassis.
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