We all know Daniel Day Lewis is a strange (yet hot) bird. His big film role this year is as Italian director Guido in Nine, where he’s surrounded by the Oscar-winning likes of Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard and Penelope Cruz. As a matter of fact, only two of the main “women” are non-Oscar winners – Kate Hudson and Fergie, who plays a prostitute Guido knew in childhood. Fergie also sings (kills, in a good way) “Be Italian”, the first song that was released on the first trailer. As Fergie is out promoting Nine, she admitted to feeling out of her element of the film set, but says Daniel Day Lewis would write her beautiful little encouraging notes, in character as Guido. Isn’t that sweet?

Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie discovered first-hand the method acting madness of her ‘Nine’ co-star Daniel Day-Lewis when she received love letters from the eccentric actor written as his character Guido. “Daniel is very charming. I’d go into my dressing room, and I’d find this little note. I’d open it, and it would be Guido’s stationary. He would write me little notes as Guido. They were very cute and very charming,” Fergie revealed at a press conference on November 15 at The Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Billed as Stacy Ferguson, Fergie makes her film debut playing the Italian vamp Saraghina performing the song ‘Be Italian’ as she taunts and teases the filmmaker Guido as a young boy. She dove into the world of ‘Nine’ watching every variation of the Federico Fellini film ‘8 1/2,’ but her preparation for the role couldn’t subside the nervousness she felt joining A-list actresses Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz and Judi Dench.

She recalls, “Going into this musical, I’m definitely the singer coming into this A-list acting world, so it was intimidating for me flying over and knowing that I was going to be amongst these people who were at the top of their game in their field. I thought maybe I’ll just sit in the corner and kind of be a sponge and not speak and watch how they hone their craft.”

But Fergie had to push aside her fears quickly. “The first person I met was Daniel. It was 15 minutes later where I had to belt out the song right in front of him. I’ve admired his work for years, and I just had to push through it and say, ‘What the hell.’ I was very hungry for this role, and I went after it. I definitely have caught the bug because it’s another way to express yourself, and I’m an artist.”

‘Nine’ will open in limited theaters in New York and Los Angeles on December 18th and nationwide December 4th.

[From PopEater]

That’s how hardcore method actor Daniel is – he gets stationary in his characters’ names and leaves in-character notes for his costars. He’s amazing. Daniel also told Oprah last week that he watched all of the girls rehearse – he would just sit in a corner, in character as Guido, and watch them all do their stuff. That’s pretty amazing too. As far as Fergie’s first movie role second movie role and everything, I’m only judging her from the one song and the trailers, but I think she knocked it out of the park. She looks different, and her voice is amazing. In a few months, will it be “Fergie, Oscar Nominee”?

Here’s Fergie singing “Be Italian” in the first Nine trailer:

Fergie on the red carpet for the AMAs on November 21, 2009. Also, stills of Fergie and Daniel Day Lewis from ‘Nine’. Credit: WENN. Additional screen caps of Fergie in character.