Angelina Jolie wants her eldest son to run the charity she named after him.

Maddox Jolie-Pitt

Maddox Jolie-Pitt

The Oscar-winning actress, who adopted Maddox, 13, from an orphanage in western Cambodia in 2002, says he will take over the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which she set up there 12 years ago "to help local families overcome problems associated with poverty in the region and to help preserve the remarkable habitat and wildlife for future generations,'' in the future.

Asked if he would be involved in her upcoming Netflix film, 'First they Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers,' about the country's Khmer Rouge communist regime, during which 1.7 million civilians died in the 1970s, the director said: "Maddox will be on set every day after school and involved behind the scenes. And yes, Maddox is already involved in the Foundation and will take over my role when he is older.

"As Maddox and I prepare the film we will be side by side learning about his country. He is turning 14 next week and this is a very important time for him to understand who he is. He is my son but he is also a son of Cambodia. This is the time for our family to understand all that that means to him and to us. My desire to tell this story in the most truthful and accurate way possible will be my tribute to the strength and dignity of all Cambodian people."

The 40-year-old star, who has five other children with husband Brad Pitt, still feels a "deep connection" to Cambodia.

She added: "I want to respect its history and bring a film to the world that will not only show the hardships of war but the dignity and resilience of a people I deeply respect."