The 53-year-old singer has confessed she was attracted to her ex-husbands Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie because they were interesting and talented and admits both encouraged her to pursue her personal acting and directing dreams.

Speaking at a press conference following the screening of her new movie `W.E.` - which Madonna directed - at the Venice Film Festival, she said: "I am and was attracted to very creative people which is why I married Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie, very talented directors, and they both encouraged me as a director to do what I did. They were both very supportive."

Although this is only the second movie the pop superstar has directed, she has appeared in a number of films - including `Dick Tracy`, `Body of Evidence` and `Evita`, which earned her a Golden Globe Award - and admits movies inspired her to become an artist when she was a child.

She revealed: "I`ve always loved film, all my life. As a child I was always inspired by movies and I always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to make one ? Making films is really hard in the first place. You have to believe in your subject matter and be passionate about it because there will be challenges along the way. You have to be prepared like the captain of a ship, no matter what happens you have got to keep going. So your spiritual foundation has to be strong."

`W.E.` focuses on the relationship between Britain`s King Edward VIII`s and American divorcee Wallis Simpson and his decision to abdicate the British throne in 1936 to marry her.
sections: Celebrities