Angelina Jolie urges all kids to be proud, ‘cause a little trouble’

Angelina Jolie was a little wicked, but far from evil, as she accepted her award for favorite villain at Nickelodeon’s 28th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards, delivering a message that kids should be proud of being unique.

Attending with her elder daughters Zahara, 10, and Shiloh, 8, -- who threw their arms up in the air when Mom won and then gave her big hugs -- Jolie was recognized for her performance as Maleficent in last year’s movie of the same name.

“I want to say that when I was little, like Maleficent, I was told I was different, and I felt out of place,” the 39-year-old mother of six told the crowd at the Forum in Inglewood on Saturday night. “Too loud, too full of fire, never good at sitting still, never good at fitting in.”

The look on her face, which is so often serious when she’s working on behalf of the United Nations or behind the camera, was that of a mother having fun with her children and their friends.

“Then one day I realized something -- something I hope you all realize: Different is good,” she said.

“So don’t fit in. Don’t sit still. Don’t ever try to be less than what you are, and when someone tells you that you are different, smile and hold your head up high and be proud.”

Jolie and husband Brad Pitt have long championed Shiloh’s preference for dressing more like her brothers than like her sisters, so the family clearly practices what Mom is preaching.

The actress and filmmaker also preached something a bit more devilish than self-acceptance.

“As your villain,” she concluded, “I would also say cause a little trouble. It’s good for you.”

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