Angelina Jolie’s use of the Derbian phrase “ay me up duck” as she introduced British actor Jack O’Connell silenced audience members at the recent Hollywood Film Awards.
Jolie was on stage to present the New Hollywood award to O’Connell, who is the protagonist in the war drama Unbroken. A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during WWII, the film was produced and directed by Jolie.
“It is my privilege to present the New Hollywood award to the least Hollywood artist I know, straight from Derby, ay up me duck, Jack O’Connell.” Jolie said.
The BBC reported that some audience members were baffled by the comment and only laughed when O’Connell used the phrase when he joined Jolie on stage.
But as the Independent reported, though the audience at the Hollywood Film Awards was silenced, Derbians on Twitter were loud and proud as they showered praise on Jolie, who married Brad Pitt earlier this year and is one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors.
“Ay up me duck” is a popular greeting in the East Midlands region of Britain, where the city of Derby is located. A report published by the BCC explains that “Ay up” is a greeting typically used instead of hello . “Me” means “my”, while “duck” is an affectionate term for another person.
Angelina Jolie also had a lot of praises for O’Connell as she told the audience about his audition for the role of Louis Zamperini in her movie Unbroken.
“All of the actors were so brave and many of the auditions were emotional and heartbreaking, and then came Jack. He went in the cell. He sat in the dark. He didn’t force anything. He didn’t act. He was just present. He looked around the darkness, he felt the isolation, and he looked so young and vulnerable, and when he was hit, he took the beating, he ended up shaking from the feelings and he allowed his emotions to come forward.”
Jolie was touched by the book, Unbroken, which is a 2010 publication of Zamperini’s story. Zamperini was on a WWII search-and-rescue mission when his plane went down in the Pacific. He was lost at sea for 47 days before being sent to a Japanese prison camp. Jolie was given the opportunity to make the film and, as Variety Online reported, the story seems a perfect match for Jolie, who is an actor, director, mother, newlywed and a humanitarian.
Earlier in September, an Inquisitr report said that Angelina Jolie is open to pursuing a career in politics thanks to the “new purpose” that she has found through her humanitarian work.
[photo courtesy of Independent]
