Angelina Jolie, Sam Rockwell Gush Over Their Movie 'The One And Only Ivan'

Angelina Jolie and Sam Rockwell are happy and proud that they are part of the adventure-drama movie "The One and Only Ivan" and they recently gushed over the perfect casting for the film.

Rockwell couldn't help but praise his upcoming film with Jolie on Disney+ that is adapted from the novel of the same title. "The One and Only Ivan" centers on Ivan (Rockwell), a gorilla who lives in captivity at a shopping mall owned by Mack (Bryan Cranston).

"It's a beautiful story. They're really a family trying to work together to get a second chance," Rockwell told Entertainment Tonight.

"It's really nice to be a part of something that you feel has something really good to say," Jolie added.

The "Maleficent" star also introduced the people behind the story and commended the casting for the film.

"Ivan is played by the brilliant Sam Rockwell. Danny DeVito is playing Bob," Jolie spoke fondly of her co-stars, who voice the titular gorilla and a dog, respectively.

"There's so many people -- and also Chaka Khan! So, the greatest casting ever," she added.

Khan voices a chicken named Henrietta while Jolie voices Stella, an elephant. The voice actors behind the movie also include Helen Mirren, Brooklynn Prince, Ron Funches, Phillipa Soo and Mike White.

Katherine Applegate wrote the book that inspired the movie. She met the real-life Ivan when he made his way to the Atlanta Zoo and admitted that she has always found primates captivating.

"It's so human," Applegate told NPR. "I think, though, it's the eyes that get me. That penetrating gaze, that intelligence; it's hard not to be anthropomorphic when you're looking at a great ape — at any primate — but especially with gorillas. They're just so magnificent.”

"The One and Only Ivan" is streaming Aug. 21 on Disney+.

In related news, Jolie talked about her adopted children, Maddox and Pax, who came from two war-torn countries, Cambodia and Vietnam. She admitted that she had no plans to adopt a baby from Vietnam but had a change of heart when she saw an image of a Vietnamese fighter held captive by Americans.

“It’s true, I did think about that. I did originally think not to adopt from Vietnam because Mad was Cambodian and the two countries have a complex history,” Jolie said.

“I thought of my own country and our involvement in Southeast Asia. I thought of focusing on a future where we were all family,” she added.