"Unbroken" helped Jolie face her surgery fears

Los Angeles: Working on her directorial project "Unbroken", a biopic on Olympic athlete-turned- prisoner of war Louis Zamperini, helped Jolie overcome her fears as she underwent preventive cancer surgery.

Jolie, 39, recently penned an article in New York Times revealing that after her preventive double mastectomy, she underwent another operation to remove her overies and fallopian tubes.

The actress lost her mother, grandmother and aunt to cancer. "What has changed the most in my life from knowing and loving such a man as Louie is realizing the strength we possess as individuals," Jolie, 39, told People magazine.

"(He) has strengthened my beliefs and taught me to focus on what is important," she said of Zamperini. Zamperini, who died last year, was brought to life on the big screen by Jolie in the movie.

"I've drawn on this as inspiration and will continue to as I journey through life and the twists and turns that come my way," Jolie said of the film.