Penelope Cruz Thought Comedy "Vicki Cristina Barcelona" Was A Drama During Filming

Penelope Cruz didn't realize her new movie was a comedy until filming had finished. The 34-year-old actress - who has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of gun-wielding maniac Maria Elena in "Vicki Cristina Barcelona" - couldn't understand why people were laughing during screenings of Woody Allen's latest project.

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She said: "When we were in the middle of shooting, I felt like I was doing the most intense and disturbing drama I ever did in my career."

"I never laughed until months later, when I saw the movie with an audience. At the beginning, I remember feeling like, 'Why are they laughing?'"

The Spanish actress - who was nominated for an Oscar in 2006 for morbid drama "Volver" - recently finished filming musical movie "Nine."

Penelope plays Carla, a beautiful seductress who at one point performs a sexy song while swinging on ropes.

It was a role that left the actress blistered and bruised, but she loved every minute of it and was in tears on her last day of shooting.

She said: "You carry on and forget the pain, and at the end of the day you see all the blisters and bruises."

"I couldn't stop crying, because I had been doing dance classes and rehearsals for so many months. It's in the film and it will be there for ever, but I don't get to do it again. I was addicted to it!"

"Nine" - which also stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Fergie, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren - is due for release in November.