Angelina Jolie says she cares for the character she plays in 'Maria'

Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Angelina Jolie said that she "really came to care for" Maria Callas , the opera singer she portrays in Maria , which she promoted at the Venice Film Festival Thursday.

"Honestly, for me, the bar in this, that I would know if I did good enough, are the Maria Callas fans and those who love opera," Jolie said in a presser . "And my fear would be to disappoint them."

Callas died in 1977 when she was 53, and the film examines the latter part of her life in Paris.

" Maria is a creative imagining and a psychological portrait of Maria Callas," an official synopsis says . "...A story about a woman that lived from the '20s to '70s, a woman who burned her voice, her life, by doing (what she loved) her work."

Starring Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, Maria is a creative imagining and a psychological portrait of Maria Callas. The film takes place in the '70s near the end of Callas' life. A story about a woman that lived from the '20s to '70s, a woman who burned her voice, her life,... pic.twitter.com/zRr0fht7eB — Netflix (@netflix) August 28, 2024

Steven Knight ( Peaky Blinders ) wrote the movie .

Jolie wore a long, slim-fitting black dress, adorned by a single brooch, to the photo call.

"I felt I didn't want to do a disservice to this woman," she said.