Kate Hudson will sing and dance in 'Nine.' Who knew?

Given Kate Hudson's recent slew of romantic comedies ("Fool's Gold," "You, Me and Dupree," "Le Divorce," "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"), it's easy to forget that she was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role (Penny Lane) in Cameron Crowe's 2001 film, "Almost Famous."

So maybe it's not that shocking (well, no, actually it kinda is) that she'll join the Oscar-winning (and nominated) cast of Rob Marshall's musical, "Nine": Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren.

But what is surprising is that her role, that of a Vogue writer, wasn't in the original Broadway show, which was inspired by Frederico Fellini's autobiographical film, "8 ½."

What, Nicole, Penélope, Marion, Judi and Sophia weren't enough female star power? They needed Hudson because ....

"[Hudson's] revelatory skills as a singer and a dancer lead to the creation of the role," Marshall's statement, released yesterday, revealed.

Really? Musta been a heckuva audition!

Photo: WireImage