AnnaLynne hearts Angie!
Angelina Jolie has won an Oscar, SAG Awards and Golden Globe trophies for her film work, but it's the engaged star's humanitarian efforts that move admirer AnnaLynne McCord most.
Speaking to Us Weekly at Wednesday's Somaly Mam Gala in New York City, 90210's McCord, 25, said that she spent her childhood idolizing Jolie, 37, and developed a deeper appreciation for the actress as an adult once she learned of Jolie's humanitarian efforts.
"She's been such an incredible advocate for the fight to end sex trafficking and [participated in] many different humanitarian efforts," applauded McCord, who works with the Somaly Mam Foundation to help eradicate sex slavery and empower survivors. "It's kind of serendipitous [that] what I connect to the most is this work."
Promoted to the diplomat-level position of UNHCR special envoy after serving more than 10 years as a goodwill ambassador on behalf of the UN Refugee Agency, Jolie appeared in 2003's Beyond Borders — a movie McCord says moved her deeply.
"I loved Beyond Borders," McCord said of the romantic drama that featured Jolie as an aid worker who abandons her job at an art gallery to assist refugees in Ethiopia. "It was incredible that [Angelina] used what she had — used this platform to do more. There was something incredible about that."
Indeed, Jolie continues to give back, and in June 2012 donated $100,000 to Syrian refugees on World Refugee Day. "UNHCR believes even one person forced to flee is too many. And it's true. Every individual refugee matters," Brad Pitt's fiancee said in a statement. "Each has their own story. Each has suffered and survived more than I could ever bear. And yet, they rise up to live another day."
