Kate Hudson's new dark fairytale is a world away from her sunny rom-coms

Kate Hudson showed a very different side of herself at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, playing a hard-nosed stripper in dark fairytale Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.

The actress said she was excited to take on the role, which is a world away from her best-known parts in sunny, crowd-pleasing romantic comedies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Bride Wars.

She said the moment of revelation came when she found herself "at 3am lying on the concrete in Bourbon Street," referring to the central New Orleans location of the film.

"That's when I felt we really do crazy things for the movies," Hudson told reporters in Venice.

The film, which is competing for the Golden Lion at the festival, tells the story of a Korean girl with telepathic powers who escapes from a mental institution and forms a bond with Hudson's erotic dancer.

It is directed by Iranian-American Ana Lily Amirpour, who has established herself as a visionary newcomer in the style of uber-hip filmmaker Jim Jarmusch -- especially with her 2014 debut about Iranian vampires, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.

"We got into this (film business) to take risks and do things that put yourself out there, and make choices that are brave," said Hudson.

"When you get to work with filmmakers that do that, it's just an exciting experience.

Amirpour said she had been "a fan of Kate forever".

"I've seen every movie she's done," Amirpour said at the press conference ahead of the film's red carpet premiere.

"She was full of a baby when I met her, and I said 'Get that baby out and then come and be a stripper.'"