It's challenging to wear one hat when making a film, let alone two. But in Shopgirl Steve Martin did just that and according his co-star Claire Danes, he did it very well.

"Martin knew the story very well. He internalized it years ago when he wrote the novella," Danes told Seamus O'Regan on CTV's Canada AM on Friday.

"But he was very generous. He knows how collaborative movie making is," she said, adding that Martin "sacrificed his own relationship with the novella to a certain extent in order to have it undergo this next incarnation."

The film, which will premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival tonight, is based on Martin's bestselling novella of the same name.

It's about sugar daddy Ray Porter (played by Martin) who sweeps an aspiring artist named Mirabelle (played by Danes) off her feet.

Mirabelle, who sells gloves at a department store and struggles to make ends meet, is torn between Porter and musician Jeremy Kraft (played by Jason Schwartzman).

"He (Martin) wasn't precious with his words at all. He encouraged me to change something if I felt the need to."

Danes, 26, gained recognition in the 1994 television drama My So-Called Life and went on to star with Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Romeo and Juliet.

She's risen to prominence in recent years, appearing in Terminator 3 and The Hours,
and is now reportedly in talks to join Richard Gere in the thriller, The Flock.

Danes told Canada AM that she's believes the film stayed true to the novella.

"I was very moved by the book, and I think that we did a really good job translating it, thank goodness," she said.

The film's been getting some advance buzz, but Martin isn't holding his breath waiting for an Oscar.

"Comedians don't get Oscars, so I gave up on that a long time ago," he told the Canadian Press.

But he can still dream.

"I'll quote (screenwriter) Nora Ephron," he told CP. "She said, 'I don't care who you are. When you sit down to write the first page of your screenplay, in your head, you're also writing your Oscar acceptance speech.'"

Even though Martin may not be expecting any accolades, word out of Hollywood is that Disney is so happy with film, they hired the director, Anand Tucker, to make what they're hoping will be the next Harry Potter franchise "His Dark Materials."

Shopgirl is set to open wide Oct. 21.