Gwyneth Paltrow has a newfound admiration for guitarists after suffering "bleeding" and "cramping" to her hands while learning how to play the instrument for her new movie Country Strong.
The Hollywood star appears as an alcoholic country music star in the film, opposite Tim McGraw as her husband.
Paltrow, who is married to rocker Chris Martin, spent hours working with session guitarist Mark Jaimes to make her portrayal convincing and she went from not knowing how to even hold a guitar to being able to pluck the strings like a professional.
But she admits it was a painful and emotional experience.
She tells Entertainment Weekly, "I played all the time, and my hands were bleeding and cramping. It sucked.
"I cried, like, five times at various points over the four months. It's really f**king hard. It's much harder than it looks.
"But at the same time, it was kind of exhilarating to be learning chords and putting them together."
Paltrow showed off her musical talents on Wednesday (10Nov10) when she hit the stage for her live debut at the Country Music Association Awards, winning over critics and earning a standing ovation from the genre's cream of the crop with her rendition of the film's title song.
Tagged in Gwyneth Paltrow