Who knew Angelina Jolie was a Survivor fan?
A source tells PEOPLE the actress, 43, and some of her children attended the Survivor live reunion of the show’s 37th season, David vs. Goliath, in Los Angeles on Dec. 19.
%20Make%20a%20Surprise%20Appearance%20at%20the%20Survivor%20Finale){kind=link}
“They had a great time,” says the source. “The kids really enjoyed it.”
Jolie’s attendance at the long-running CBS show, which has already aired, might have surprised a few but it stemmed from her friendship with writer, producer and actor Mike White, who was a contestant in the latest season as a member of the Goliath tribe.
The two became friends while working on the upcoming Disney film The One and Only Ivan based on the 2012 novel by K. A. Applegate. White wrote the screenplay while Jolie stars in and serves as a producer in the film.
A second source tells PEOPLE White, 48, and a small group of friends headed to Jolie’s home for an impromptu gathering after the reunion was taped.
RELATED VIDEO: Angelina Jolie Attends U.N. Event With 4 Of Her Children
Ivan also features Sam Rockwell in the titular role of a gorilla trying to piece together his past with the help of his friends as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity. Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren and Danny DeVito also star in the film.
The Oscar-winning actress has six children whom she shares with ex Brad Pitt: Maddox, 17, Pax, 15, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and 10-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.
In December, Jolie opened up about her parenting style during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Today.
RELATED: President Angelina Jolie? Actress Teases a Future in Politics: ‘I’ll Go Where I’m Needed’
“Children can do two things,” she explained to host Justin Webb when asked what drove her move from her “wild” past to her more serious, humanitarian work. “They can make you grow up, and you do, and they also add a sense of wild themselves.”
“[My kids] all have a good rebellious streak that is wonderful and curious,” she explained. “I don’t want them to be perfectly behaved little people that just say what’s absolutely appropriate because I say so … they have to find themselves.”
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.
- with reporting by Steve Helling