Mariah Carey Stars In New Indie Flick

After making one of the most harshly-received movies ever in 2001's "Glitter," Mariah Carey is trying her hands at movies again.

The new movie, "Tennesse," premiered at New York's Tribeca Film Festival last Saturday (April 26), according to Reuters. The movie focuses on two brothers searching for their estranged father. Along the way, they meet Krystal, a waitress played by Mariah.

"Mariah said, 'This is going to be refreshing for me; this is actually something that I want,' even knowing that it was a gritty, hard shoot," said director Aaron Woodley. "Some people even told me that they forgot it was Mariah Carey when they were watching the film."

"She's not a diva and she came to work -- and work hard she did," said producer Lee Daniels, who admitted that "people do feel negatively about her as an actor."

Daniels, who produced the Oscar-wining "Monster's Ball," saw Carey's performance in "WiseGirls" and decided "it was clear that she's a very talented actress."

Mariah certainly has a lot going on, as the singer's newest album E=MC2 produced her strongest debut ever, and the biggest debut of the year of any artist in 463,000 albums sold last week.