Christina Aguilera acknowledges Cher’s influence on her career while starring alongside the 63 year old diva in forthcoming movie, ‘Burlesque”

Christina Aguilera has revealed how much her career has been inspired by Cher. The pair are currently in the midst of starring alongside each other in major Hollywood move, Burlesque, which is being shot right now. The film sees Cher return to the big screen for the first time in more than a decade. The 63 year old plays a former dancer, Tess, who now runs an ailing “neo-burlesque” club. Aguilera plays Ali, a small-town Iowa girl with a big voice, who heads to Los Angeles where she dances at Tess’ club and thrives under her mentorship. Both actors will be singing on screen, Cher for the first time in a film in which she also stars. Meanwhile this is Aguilera’s first star turn in front of the cameras in a movie.

‘I love Cher and I never knew just how much before I made this movie,’ said Aguilera. I have always had tremendous respect for her. She is a woman who did everything before anyone else did it. She is an icon and she inspired me through some of my career.

‘We’ve had similar costumes too!’ added Aguilera, who is famous for wearing crotchless leather chaps in the video for her 2002 hit ‘Dirrty’ and who was inspired by the ‘Believe’ singer’s flesh-flashing fashion choices through the years.
Cher wore a similarly revealing black leather outfit in the promo for her single ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’.

And it seems that Cher has been impressed with her co-star’s acting skills, too, despite rumours circulating that there had been some kind of a rift between the pair on set. ‘I’m shocked, but she’s really good,’ said Cher, who rose to fame singing alongside her partner Sonny Bono in the Sixties. The other day, we were hamming it up so badly, so old, like vaudevillian. She was keeping up! She was hot. Her game was good!’

Meanwhile, Cher and Aguilera’s co-star in the movie, Kristen Bell, has praised the relaxed attitude adopted by the Cher on set, despite the singer’s diva reputation.

‘Cher’ owns the club and we play best friends,’ says Bell who plays dancer Nikki. “I’m her lead dancer and Christina sort of comes in between the two of us and I’m not very happy about that!

‘I could talk but I was definitely having to take a breath and I was going, ‘I’m in a room with Cher right now’, but she’s so personable and down to earth, it’s not really what you expect, she’s very easy to be around.”

Cher has also been gaining the plaudits from the films backers. “[Cher] brings a soulfulness and gravitas to this character that will ground the story,” said Clint Culpepper of Screen Gems, the firm that is backing the film. “The only person who was more excited than I am is Christina.”

Culpepper said he lobbied personally for the singer and actor to break off from a busy schedule of appearances in Las Vegas to take the role, which started shooting in November with first time writer-director Steven Antin at the helm.