Carrie Underwood Opens Up About 'Soul Surfer' Acting Debut

Because the movie "Soul Surfer" is based on the true and inspiring story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack but overcame all odds to become a pro, the film was a real labor of love for everyone involved. Particularly so first-time actress Carrie Underwood.

When MTV News caught up with the country music superstar, she explained why she decided to make her acting debut in "Surfer," which opens on Friday. She also opened up about discovering how different the worlds of music and film really are.

"This whole movie, this whole project is important," Underwood said about signing on. "It's important to get Bethany's story out, and people being entertained but also, hopefully, people leave the movie theater feeling different about themselves in their lives and inspired," she said.

Underwood added that this was a project she really believed in and of which she wanted to be a part. "It wasn't some silly nothing movie that in 10 years nobody is going to care [about]. Hopefully, people watch this and really take something away from it."

Regarding the differences between performing onstage and performing on a film set, Underwood said she felt a little bit like a fish out of water at first, but thanks to support from the cast and crew, she got through it.

"Oh gosh, I think my singing world and the movie world are way, way, way different," she said. "I know what I'm doing when I'm singing, I feel like on the set, everyone was so nice and they helped me out so much. They were very patient with me and very understanding that this was my first movie. ... Onstage I know what to do, but in front of the lights and being on the movie set, I was pretty lost most of the time," she admitted. "But they were great."

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