Angelina Jolie Announces she has Chicken Pox in YouTube Video
Angelina Jolie of the "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" fame announced Friday that she is down with chicken pox due to which she would not be able to attend the promotional events of her second directorial flick, "Unbroken".
The 39-yera-old announced the news in a Youtube video that was released by Universal Pictures. Spots on her skin due to the disease were clearly visible in the video.
"I just want to be clear and honest why I will be missing the 'Unbroken' events in the next few days, which is that I found out last night that I have chicken pox," Jolie said.
She added: "So, I will be home itching and missing everyone and I can't believe it because this film means so much to me. I just can't believe it, but such is life. There it is. Send everyone my love and I hope everything goes well."
The movie is a biopic based on the time that Olympic runner Louis Zamperini spent in a Japanese prison camp during the World War II. It shows the torture that he was subjected to there. After a plane crash, Zamperini spent 47 days in the Pacific Ocean before the Japanese authorities captured him. He was sent to a labour camp and spent more than two years there. The movie shows the cruelty of some of the imperial officers.
Despite drawing criticism from Japan's right-wing nationalists, Jolie said that the movie is very close to her heart and she would try her best to promote it on a wider scale.
According to Universal, she also said: "You have to laugh at the timing. I was sure nothing could stop me from supporting Unbroken. I am heartbroken to miss our premiere, most of all the chance to be there with Louie's family, Phil's daughter Karen, veterans and all the guests who are coming."
Universal Pictures also released a statement in response to her announcement: "We all wish Angelina a speedy recovery and look forward to her returning to her work very soon. She is in very good spirits, considering after two years of hard work, she will not be there the night it finally premieres."
The video is below:
The news comes just days after the "Maleficent" actress was at the centre of Sony hacked email controversy. Hackers had posted a series of emails that the studio's movie chief Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin had exchanged a while ago. In one of the mails, Rudin referred to Jolie as a "minimally talented spoiled brat".
