Jodie Foster feels "so blessed" to have cast Jack O'Connell in her latest movie.

Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster

The Hollywood star directs the 25-year-old actor - who has previously revealed he was in and out of court as a youngster - in her upcoming film 'Money Monster', and she thinks his great worth ethic could be down to his previous "emotional demons".

She explained: "There's a complicated guy in there, who clearly has dealt with the consequences of his own emotional demons.

"Maybe that's what makes him so hard-working and grateful.

"I feel so blessed to have been able to stand in the room with him and cheer on his enormous talent."

Jodie says she knew Jack had secured the role of Kyle - a deranged viewer who takes a TV presenter (George Clooney) hostage - in the film "within seconds" of his audition beginning.

Writing in an email, she added: "We looked at many, many actors. But within seconds of Jack launching into Kyle, we barely looked back."

The former 'Skins' star - who has also worked with director Angelina Jolie on 2014 movie 'Unbroken' - spent so much time with Jodie that he got know exactly how she wanted to play his part without her having to say a word.

He told Britain's Vogue magazine: "If I wasn't as panicked or traumatised as she wanted, she'd often come over and wouldn't even say anything, she'd just 'do' the emotion for me.

"We got to a stage where I could kind of understand what she meant."

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