Penelope Cruz turned reclusive before musical debut

Los Angeles: Oscar-winning actress Penelope Cruz locked herself in a hotel room as she prepared for her role in Rob Marshall`s highly anticipated musical "Nine".The Spanish beauty says she was paranoid about protecting her voice before recording at London`s Abbey Road Studios and decided to speak to no one as she prepared to hit the high notes, Entertainment Weekly magazine reported.

"I thought it would be more responsible and professional if I didn`t talk to anybody before I had to record. So I was laying on my bed like Dracula, looking at the ceiling and waiting to go to the studio. "I got so tense from trying to protect myself too much... The second day I was much more relaxed," said the 35-year-old star. Directed by Rob Marshall of `Chicago` fame, the film is loosely based on Federico Fellini`s autobiographical 1963 movie 81/2. Cruz plays the seductive mistress of film director Guido Contini, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, in the 60 million pound production, which boasts of a formidable cast that includes names like Sophia Loren, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard and Kate Hudson. The movie explores how Contini confronted a mid-life crisis, with creative troubles and personal woes. He tries to balance this with his women, including his wife (Cotillard), his mistress (Cruz), his muse (Kidman), and his costume designer (Judi Dench). He must also contend with a fashion journalist, played by Hudson, a prostitute from his youth, played by `Black Eyed Peas` singer Fergie, and his mother, played by Loren. Bureau Report