Julianne Hough - Julianne Hough Almost Rejected Rock Of Ages Role

The blonde beauty admits she was turned off by the idea of hitting the big screen in another music-themed movie after parts in Burlesque and 2011's Footloose remake, and instead wanted to test her talents with a straight-up drama.

She tells the New York Daily News, "At first I was like, 'Yeah, I don't think I want to do another musical... Of course, you have to get your foot in the door somehow, so Burlesque and Footloose made sense. But I wanted to expand and grow as an actress."

But she had a change of heart as soon as director Adam Shankman revealed the Mission: Impossible actor had signed up to lead the star-studded cast.

She recalls, "He said, 'You know, Tom Cruise is in it.' And I was like, 'Right - I'll do one more (musical)!'"

Hough will be able to test her drama skills in her next film - she plays a Christian evangelist with burns over two-thirds of her body in screenwriter Diablo Cody's untitled directorial debut.