AceShowbiz - Author Patricia Cornwell has lavished praise on Angelina Jolie after they met to discuss an upcoming film project - insisting she was stunned by the actress' down-to-earth nature. Cornwell was delighted when Jolie agreed to play crime-solving medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta in a new thriller based on her bestselling novels.

The writer admits she struggled to arrange an appointment to meet the busy Hollywood star, but when she finally managed to arrange a visit on the set of Jolie's movie "Salt", she was shocked by the star's easygoing demeanor. Cornwell says, "When Angelina came out of left field (to take the role) last year, I was floored. I think meeting the head of the KGB (Russian secret service) might have been easier. It was all hush-hush."

"(Angelina) had pithy things to say about what she wanted to do. She was direct and goal-oriented. (With celebrities), usually it's all about them... She waited on everyone, getting them their lunch, while her own staff was seated. She was aware intuitively how other people were feeling and wanted to make them comfortable. It was not typical for people of her stature."