Renée Zellweger nearly didn't complete her Oscar-nominated performance in Chicago due to a fear of singing formally, the hit film's director has confessed.
Ahead of the musical drama's 20th anniversary, director Rob Marshall has revealed the actress had fears about her singing role as murderess-turned-famous showgirl Roxie Hart.
He claimed the Hollywood star was initially "very afraid" to sing for him.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Rob said: "We went to dinner, and I said to her, 'Do you know any songs?'
"And she started singing 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' for me in the restaurant because she was so shy about singing formally. I could tell immediately she could sing."
He went on to say he thought the 53-year-old was "exactly the actor" he was looking for and felt she was perfect for the fragile-style role he had imagined.
He continued: "I'd found out that Renée had been a cheerleader in school, so I thought maybe she could dance. She came to New York, and [choreography supervisor] John DeLuca and I worked with her on dancing and could see right away that she could move."
Rob admitted that the easiest casting decision came in the shape of Catherine Zeta-Jones. The Welsh star played Renee's fellow murderess and nemesis-turned-collaborator called Velma Kelly.
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He revealed her musical prowess was clear thanks to her West End musical background and also added that Richard Gere's Grease performance showcased his talents.
"In a perfect world, you don't even have to make a decision about actors," Rob added. "The actor themselves, if they're right for the role, they claim it as theirs, and that's what Richard Gere did."
The movie went on to earn 13 nominations at the 75th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Sound and Best Supporting Actress for Catherine Zeta-Jones.
As well as Renee's nomination, fellow stars of the show John C Reilly and Queen Latifah were recognised for their performances.
The film is based on the stage musical from 1975 of the same name.
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