Is she or is she not? That’s a question that will beg your mind when you watch Angelina Jolie’s latest action flick, Salt, in which she plays a CIA agent accused of being a Russian spy.

On the run

And while you’re pondering over whether her character Evelyn Salt may or may not be a Russian spy, check out what Ange had to endure to ace the role. She had to be in tip-top shape for her role as a kick-ass agent on the run. So what did the stunning A-lister do to prepare for the demanding part? She ate about five small meals a day and stuck to a diet of 70% carbs and 30% protein -- and actually avoided cardio -- to help “put muscle on without losing weight,” says trainer Simon Crane, who worked with the actress to get in top form for the film.

At the Comic-Con in San Diego, Ange said of Evelyn Salt: “There's a part of her that's not necessarily a good guy, and because of certain things that happened to her, she's a bit damaged. She's not just heroic. She's not even. She's not just brave. There's something a little off about her, and maybe there's something off about me.”

Ange performed her own stunts in Salt and recounted an on-set injury to the audience that left her scarred. She sliced open part of her face just above her nose when tumbling into a doorway with a gun. Ange said she first thought she suffered a concussion because she couldn't hear anything, but later realised she was wearing earplugs.

When I was watching Salt, I could totally picture Tom Cruise in the role that went to Ange (he was offered the role but turned it down and so the role was rewritten for Ange ) but I prefer Ange in the role as she is far more edgier and brutal and less self-concious (read: vain) than Tom.

Get a taste of Salt, which opens in Malaysia 29 July, in the exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie in Galaxie’s 15-31 August issue.