Cameron As 'Gang' Fighter

In "Gangs Of New York," a movie in which she plays Jenny, a petty thief and con artist, Cameron Diaz gets to costar with Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis.

But she tells The Early Show entertainment contibutor Jess Cagle that it was working with Martin Scorsese that meant the most to her.

"I don't even remember if I read the script before I went and read for the part," she says. " I just knew that it was Martin Scorsese, and I wanted to work with, silly me, you know? Ooh, I was taking a risk," Diaz says laughing. "You know, it's Martin Scorsese. So, you try to get in on it if you can."

So she basically went in and auditioned for the part, an unusual move for the star.

"There are those films that I've had to audition for. And there are those films that have come my way without having to do that. But yeah, this was a film that I'm almost happy, I'm glad, I got to audition for it," Diaz says.

Of course, she adds with a big smile, if he had given her the part without the reading, there is "a bit of honor in that."

Once on the set, Diaz became his student.

"With Marty, he sort of paints this picture that is, because of the nature of the story that he's telling, the civil rights, racism, revenge, love, everything is a very large picture. You really feel as though you've experienced where these characters have come from. And who they are, because of that," Diaz explains.

As for her co-star, Diaz says friendship with DiCaprio made things even easier.

"We've been friends for a long time. So, we knew one another already. And so, there was that kind of ease with one another. I've known him since he was really young," she says laughing. "We were younger; well, I'm older than him. So, but we kind of grew up in this business together, in a way."

And it was a really physical role.

"I love being physical. I mean, I did Charlie's Angels. It's a very physical film. I'm doing it again. Jenny's a fighter. And she doesn't allow herself to be victimized in any way. And she protects what's hers, whether it's her possessions or her heart. She protects herself," Diaz says.

In "Gangs Of New York" Jenny struggles to survive in a dangerous Manhattan neighborhood called Five Points. The area is run by tyrannical Bill "the Butcher", played by Daniel Day-Lewis. As Jenny dreams of a better life, she falls in love with Amsterdam, played by Dicaprio.

Scorsese, Day-Lewis, DiCaprio, intense and famous. Yet not intimidating for Diaz.

"We're all individuals," she says. "I'm just myself. And when I'm with those guys, you know, we're working. It's intense. An actor such as Daniel, who's unbelievably dedicated to his role and sort of never leaves it, especially at the set on set, he never leaves anything out of that character. He's always present," Diaz says.

"And it was amazing to experience that, cause I had always heard about that. One moment, Daniel and I would be laughing and having a good time. But he's doing it as Bill. So we're relating sort of in that Bil-and-Jenny way, always," she adds.

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