Bobby Cannavale on Why He Joined the Film Remake of Annie (Hint: He Gets to Dance with Cameron Diaz!)

Emmy winner and two-time Tony nominee Bobby Cannavale is playing a brand new character written for the forthcoming movie musical remake of Annie. So, who is this guy? He's a tough political advisor who aids the Daddy Warbucks character, Benjamin Stacks (Jamie Foxx), in his race for New York City mayor. Yet, it seems like the character also has something going on with Cameron Diaz's tough-looking Miss Hannigan.

Cannavale recently opened up to Rolling Stone magazine about why he decided to join the film, which is co-written by Emma Thompson and directed by Will Gluck. "I've always wanted to do a musical. I'd been rehearsing this big dance scene with Cameron Diaz since September and we finally shot it a couple weeks ago," said Cannavale. "Every film I try to do something that I've never done before. It's tough in this business, you know? People see you do something they like and then they just want to see you do it over and over again. That's why I did this movie."

The starry cast of Annie also includes Cannavale's real-life girlfriend Rose Byrne as Grace Farrell, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Nash and, most importantly, 9-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis in the title role. The contemporary remake, loosely based on the Tony-winning musical Annie, is set to hit theaters Christmas Day 2014.

Cannavale won an Emmy Award for his role on Will & Grace and received two 2013 Emmy nods for his roles on Boardwalk Empire and Nurse Jackie. A two-time Tony nominee for his work in Mauritius and The Motherf**ker with the Hat, Cannavale starred on Broadway twice last season in revivals of Glengarry Glen Ross and The Big Knife.