By Peter Bowes in Hollywood

Destiny's Child singer Beyonce Knowles says her role, as Foxxy Cleopatra, in the latest Austin Powers film, came as a complete surprise.

The 20-year-old singer appears with a galaxy of veteran stars in Mike Myers' Austin Powers in Goldmember, the third in the spoof Bond series.

I still like hamburgers and cheeseburgers - I'm still a regular girl

Beyonce Knowles

Knowles has been performing with the Grammy-winning group since she was 15 years old.

As a writer and producer of many Destiny's Child hit songs, such as Jumpin Jumpin, Bootylicious and Independent Woman the singer is a seasoned artist.

"I didn't expect to do a movie so soon," she explains. "I didn't want to force it, I didn't want to say, 'okay we've sold records, now I want to act'."

Nerve-wracking

Knowles says she was approached by the filmmakers and invited to audition for the role.

The experience involved a nerve-wracking meeting with Myers at a Los Angeles hotel.

Knowles plays a 'smart, sexy woman'

"He was the celebrity so it always scares you," she says.

"I wanted to leave a great impression but I was so nervous I didn't know what to say. I didn't know whether I should I shake his hand or hug him."

"Finally we shook hands and we sat down and he told me he was nervous. I was like, 'why are you nervous? I'm terrified'."

Knowles says she was offered the sexy secret agent role after reading through the script with Myers and discovering that they had a "great chemistry" together.

Time-travelling

"I surprised myself," she says. "I had no idea I would be able to do it. It was a comedy - it's the hardest type of movie you can do."

Foxxy Cleopatra is a dream character for a first time actor

Beyonce Knowles

In the film, the time-travelling Austin Powers joins forces with Foxxy, an old girlfriend from the 1970s, to battle villains Dr. Evil and Mini-Me, played by Verne Troyer.

The star-studded cast includes veteran actors such as Michael Caine, who plays Nigel Powers, and Robert Wagner as Number Two.

In addition, a host of celebrities make cameo appearances.

Knowles says she found performing with the likes of Caine and Wagner particularly daunting.

'Different tricks'

"I'm not only in the scenes, I have dialogue with these people," she explains. She says Caine was sympathetic and she was grateful for his advice.

"Michael Caine told me so many different tricks. He's done so many movies, he made it look so easy."

Michael Caine plays Austin Powers' father

Eventually, Knowles says she came to relish her role.

"Foxxy Cleopatra is a dream character for a first time actor," she says. "She's very smart, she's sexy but very tough."

Knowles was particularly fond of the costumes.

"I wore everything from the platforms to mini skirts to hip huggers. I had my own earring, my own necklace, my own fox symbol, my shoes, it was like being a superhero,' she says.

'Wonderful'

Knowles says her rapid rise to stardom has forced her to mature beyond her years.

"I've been on so many tours, we've sold a lot of records, which is wonderful, we've won so many awards, we've been to so many awards shows, it is all great, but all those things, I have the responsibility of an adult and I have to make grown up decisions.

"I've had to for a long time, I think it forces you to mature faster," she explains.

"But I am still 20 and I still like to have fun, still like to laugh and I still like to go to theme parks and I still like hamburgers and cheeseburgers - I'm still a regular girl."