HOLLYWOOD -- Brittany Murphy has been cast as Eminem's love interest in his first film, which begins shooting this week.

"The movie doesn't have a title yet. It's roughly based on Eminem's own story. It was a pre-existing script that they took and tailored to him."

After only a few rehearsals, Murphy was able to conclude "he's going to be quite an amazing actor. I don't think that should come as too much of a surprise. We've all seen how magnetic he is in his videos."

"I think this is a natural cross-over for him."

Murphy says she and Eminem believe they were fated to be in this movie together.

"For the first rehearsal, we turned up wearing similar T-shirts. That broke the ice. We have one love scene and I have a feeling he's as nervous about it as I am."

Murphy refuses to criticize Eminem for some of the controversy he has generated.

"I don't think it's right to take a few lines from his songs and conclude that's who Eminem really is.

"Before I accepted the role, I spoke to most of my gay friends. Some of them are huge fans of his. I think he's very misunderstood." (More on Eminem)