Angelina Jolie under fire for tempting deprived Cambodian children in ‘cruel’ casting game

Angelina Jolie has come under fire for playing a “cruel” casting game with Cambodian orphans for her new film.

The Hollywood actress is facing criticism for the way in which she chose children to star in First They Killed My Father.

During her interview with Vanity Fair, Jolie explained that she wanted to find a child who had experienced real hardship to play the young Loung Ung.

“Srey Moch [the girl ultimately chosen for the part] was the only child that stared at the money for a very, very long time,” said Jolie.

“When she was forced to give it back, she became overwhelmed with emotion. All these different things came flooding back.

“When she was asked later what the money was for, she said her grandfather had died, and they didn’t have enough money for a nice funeral.”

Many readers were outraged by the story, calling the game “cruel” and “traumatising” for the young children.

On reader wrote on Twitter: “Why in the HELL were Angelina Jolie and Co traumatizing poor cambodian children for "casting"? How is this applause worthy?”

“Angelina jolie cast her latest movie by taunting poor children with cash,” wrote another.

First They Killed My Father is about the Khmer Rouge atrocities and the true-life story of Loung Ung under Pol Pot’s regime.

Jolie told the magazine that there was a powerful atmosphere on set as everyone who worked on the project had a connection to the atrocities.

“There wasn’t a person who was working on the movie who didn’t have a personal connection,” she said.

“They weren’t coming to do a job. They were walking in the exodus for the people whom they had lost in their family, and it was out of respect for them that they were going to re-create it. It completed something for them.”