Angelina Jolie: Directing is like parenting

(Cover) - EN Movies - Angelina Jolie has likened directing to motherhood, revealing she “nurtured” the stars of her new movie.

The 36-year-old makes her directorial debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey. The drama sees a love story develop against the backdrop of the Bosnian War during the 90s.

Angelina cast a host of relatively unknown actors in the movie and she soon realised that raising six children had prepared her for the demands of the movie set.

"There's people constantly asking you for something on set, so the multi-tasking of motherhood transfers very well to being a director. And I think you're compassionate,” she told British newspaper The Sun.

"I get nervous. I see my actors get dressed up for a premiere and think, 'Oh, did she get the right earrings?' or 'Did he get anything to eat before he went to the interview?'

"With all these other adults, you still feel this strange, nurturing, mothering quality for everybody."

Angelina’s children often came to visit her on the film set. She has revealed they helped to lighten the atmosphere after a particularly depressing scene.

"The cast would come out and play soccer with my kids. We would all laugh and try anything that brought levity and love because it was so dark,” she explained. “Off the set, I was happy with my kids. I was probably smothering them with love because of the nature of the subject matter."

Angelina admits to feeling nervous about her picture. Although she thoroughly enjoyed directing, she is still plagued by self-doubt.

"It's been one of the best and most trying experiences of my life. I spent many sleepless nights preparing then directing the film,” she added.

"Even now, when I've been promoting the film, I worry that perhaps I didn't do a good enough job and do justice to the suffering that the Bosnian people endured in the war."

© Cover Media