Los Angeles, Oct 15 (IANS): Hollywood star Angelina Jolie wants women to show their strength by working with rather than fighting men to improve the world.

The actress, filmmaker and activist plays the titular Disney villain in her latest movie "Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil", but believes women need not act tough to get ahead in an unequal world, and can be strong by working with rather than fighting men.

"I think that, so often, when a story's told which says 'this is a strong woman', she has to beat the man, or she has to be like the man, or she has to somehow not need the man," Jolie told bbc.com.

Speaking about "Maleficent", who is shown as a more sympathetic figure than the Sleeping Beauty villain she is in the original Disney animation, and Princess Aurora, played by Elle Fanning, Angelina added: "We both very much need and love and learn from the men. And so I think that's also an important message for young girls, to find their own power, but to respect and learn from the men around them."

The star went on to say that she feels an important theme of the female-led film is that female heroism and villainy takes very different forms, just like male greatness does.

"We have strong women, but the character that is wrong in the film and has to be taken out is also a woman. We show very diverse types of women between our characters, but also we have extraordinary men in the film, and I really want to press that point," she said.