Angelina Jolie admits winning an Oscar for her portrayal of late opera singer Maria Callas in the biopic 'Maria' would be a bonus.

The 49-year-old actress - who already has an Academy Award for her role as a sociopath in the 1999 psychological thriller 'Girl, Interrupted' - had the "experience of a lifetime" starring in Pablo Larraín's biographical psychological drama about diva Maria, and although the Oscar hype is "very nice", she feels like she has already been given "the greatest gift" of making a movie with an "extraordinary team of people" and anything else is a "dream".

Asked about the Oscar buzz surrounding her film, she laughed to Best UK magazine: "It means a lot that somebody thinks you did a good job. Right? That means everything to me.

"That kind of stuff is exciting and very, very nice. But I'm just so happy we were able to do this film. I'm genuinely so happy.

"I know it sounds like people say this, but really, this was an experience of a lifetime. I learned to sing and I embodied a woman that I respect. I was able to work with this extraordinary team of people. I feel like I've already been given the greatest gift.

"The audience seemed to respond well to it. So, anything else is a dream, but I'm so grateful already."

The 'Maleficent' star was last nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for 'Changeling'.

The Hollywood star - who has six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt - previously admitted immersing herself in opera training for the movie was the "therapy" she didn't realise she needed.

Speaking to WSJ. magazine, she said: “Pablo (Larraín, director) expected me to learn, to really sing… to understand and study opera, to immerse completely and do the work.

“But it was much more than that, it was to understand Maria Callas and be able to play the character.

"I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out. So, the challenge wasn’t the technical, it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express.

“You have to give every single part of yourself... everything that you’ve got.”

Angelina spent "months" working on her vocals.

She previously said at the Telluride Film Festival: "I had seven months of opera classes, great teachers and Italian classes, and a supportive team that were going to help me."

Despite this, Angelina still felt anxious about singing when the time came to do it.

She said: "I was so nervous that morning I was out of my mind."