She’s been hard at work directing her latest project Unbroken in Sydney, Australia. 

But on Friday, Angelina Jolie afforded herself a brief break as she received a surprise visit from son Maddox on the set of the movie.

The 12-year-old looked in good spirits as he strolled confidently onto the set to catch up with his mother.

Maddox wore a checked shirt and black shorts,grinning widely as he was greeted by cast and crew on the set of the film.

And Angelina also appeared cheered up after seeing her son, sporting a wide smile as she was photographed on the set later in the day.

The 38-year-old stuck to her usual colour palette of all black, wearing a loose-fitting black T-shirt, jeans and scuffed black boots, with a large hat to protect her pale complexion from the strong sun.

She also carried a jacket which she was seen wearing later as the temperatures began to drop.

But it wasn’t only Maddox’s visit which cheered Angelina up.

She was later seen grinning from ear-to-ear after being given a gift from one of the actors on the set.

The present, which appeared to be some kind of medal, was presented to Angelina in a navy box, and the actress looked delighted with the gesture.

After thanking the actor, dressed in army greens, Angelina gave him a big hug before continuing with her day of work – which saw her working on an earthquake sequence.

Unbroken is an adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 best-selling book that spent 108 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and 14 of those weeks at No. 1.

It tells the story of the life of Zamperini, an Olympic athlete and war veteran who survived a plane crash during the war and floated on a raft for 47 days before being picked up by the Japanese and sent to a prisoner of war camp.

Track prodigy Zamperini performed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics at age 19 and even though he didn’t win a medal his excellence in the final lap of the 5,000 meter race impressed Adolf Hitler so much that the dictator insisted on meeting the runner personally.

Angelina, 37, spoke previously about how the plight of Zamperini affected her.

She said: ‘It will be hard to make a film worthy of this great man. I am deeply honoured to have the chance and will do all I can to bring Louie’s inspiring story to life.

‘Everyone involved in the film shares this deep responsibility. Like all readers of Laura’s book and all people who love and admire Louie, I am a fan who has learned so much. He has made me a better person.’

And Louis added: ‘Angelina is a human dynamo, and I know she will tell this story in the right way.  I’ve received so many letters and talked to so many people who say that Laura’s book has helped them when they were going through hard times.

‘I believe the movie will reach even more people with that message.’

Angelina’s directorial debut was 2011’s In the Land of Blood and Honey, a love story set in the midst of the 1990s Bosnian war.

As her directorial role for Unbroken was announced earlier this year, Universal Pictures chairman Adam Fogelson and co-chairman Donna Langley said in a joint statement: ‘In her life and in her work, Angelina has embraced stories and causes involving great struggle and triumph over tremendous odds and the basic human condition.

‘She has a real ability to illustrate the strength in human spirit which will be essential in telling Lou’s story of survival and great heroism.’