Sam Riley ‘fell into’ Maleficent

Sam Riley credits his casting in Maleficent to his friend and co-star Angelina Jolie.

The On the Road actor depicts Diaval in the upcoming Disney feature, which is currently filming in England.

Angelina, who portrays Sleeping Beauty’s arch enemy Maleficent, apparently had a hand in securing Sam on the ensemble.

“That was another thing I sort of fell into because I wasn’t working for a while and I couldn’t find anything I like before they said ‘Do you want to audition for a Disney film?’ ” Sam explained to Total Film.

“And I thought that I couldn’t just sit and wait in Berlin for job roles, so I auditioned for it and then I heard that I wasn’t really Disney material which I could fully understand. About two weeks after I heard that she’d seen the tape and I was back in the running so I guess I owe [Angelina] a pint.”

Although Angelina is a superstar, Sam believes she is easy to work with.

The pair have built a strong working relationship with one another.

“Oh yeah, my mate Angie. I didn’t [call her that] at first,” Sam said.

“I heard she doesn’t mind and I kept hearing everyone on set called her Angie and I thought I could never get away with that so I called her Angelina. Or avoided her name altogether. But I did get a quiet moment and she did say she doesn't mind being called Angie. But Maleficent looks great. A role where I don’t die and I don’t smoke. I love it.”

Maleficent is slated for release in 2014.