Here's The Crafty Way Angelina Jolie Convinced Universal Execs To Let Her Direct 'Unbroken'
So how did the actress, with just one director credit under her belt, land the directing gig of the film adaptation of the best-selling book of the same name?
"I had all the hours of phone calls and things and made all these boards, I took my glue and tape and pictures off the internet - and I put all my boards in a garbage bag and I carried them to Universal myself and put them out and I pitched my butt off!"
"I felt such a huge responsibility to get it right," Jolie said. "I love him [Zamperini] so much and he's helped me so much in my life."
Ironically, the 39-year-old Hollywood starlet and the late Zamperini were closer to each other before filming than they even realized. Zamperini's home overlooked Jolie's in the Hollywood Hills.
"I imagine that for the last 10-something years, he's been sitting there having a coffee in the morning and wondering who's going to make this movie!" Jolie exclaimed. "And I've been sitting in my room laying there thinking, 'What am I supposed to be doing with my life? I wanna do something important. I need some help. I need some guidance. Where is it?' And it was right outside my window."
Watch Tom Brokaw interview Angelina Jolie and Louis Zamperini below.