December 04, 2024
Angelina Jolie's portrayal of opera legend Maria Callas in the biopic Maria required vocal training.
Jolie worked with the vocal coach Eric Vetro for seven months to prepare for the role.
Speaking with PEOPLE magazine, Vetro has shared some insights into Jolie's training without any singing experience.
He said, "She started from ground zero. She had never sung before."
"I don't think I've ever seen someone make such a huge difference from the first day to the last day," Vetro added.
Additionally, he revealed that the actress was feeling "a little nervous and shy about singing in the beginning" but "Her desire to do a great job overrode anything that might stop her."
Vetro also talked about the challenges of training someone to sing opera, saying, "It ebbs and it flows. It goes a little faster here, a little slower there. So to do that, I mean, you have to really be musical."
He added, "It was the most thrilling day of all of our time spent together. I was like, 'This is it. She can do it. She's the perfect person to play this role.' And I'm someone who loved Maria Callas — I really did. She was one of my favorite opera singers, and so it really touched me that she was able to do it like this."