Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Rosario Dawson and Colin Farrell attended

Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie and Val Kilmer turned out to support the film directed by Oliver Stone.

The film tells the tale of Alexander the Great, who conquered almost all of the known world by the age of 25 and was dead by 33.

Farrell plays the military leader while Jolie plays his mother, despite being just a year older than the Irish actor.

Talking about his character, Farrell said: "He was everything. He was a contradiction in terms. You know, he was soft, he was strong, he was gentle, he was ferocious, he was a complete contradiction as a man."

I'm so proud of Colin Farrell, this is his best role so far and the whole cast is amazing Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer reunited with The Doors director Stone for the film, in which he plays Alexander's father Philip.

"We had a great time working together 10 years ago --it's 10 years already - in The Doors," said Kilmer.

Angelina Jolie (r) plays Colin Farrell's mother in the film

"And this was actually more fun to make for me because I didn't have the pressure of playing the lead and all those responsibilities, which are awesome.

Hard shoot

"I'm so proud of Colin Farrell, this is his best role so far and the whole cast is amazing."

Preparation for the film was rigorous, with many of the actors undergoing intense physical training to get into shape to play members of the invading armies.

Farrell said: "It was tough. It was a hard shoot physically and emotionally. All the boys involved put themselves on the line, and it was a blast."

Alexander cost a reported $150m (�80m) to produce and follows on the heels of Troy, the epic movie starring Brad Pitt as the Greek warrior based on Homer's The Iliad.

Director Baz Luhrmann also plans to make a film about Alexander the Great, with Leonardo diCaprio in the title role, but production has been put on hold to see how audiences react to Oliver Stone's version.