No Doubt star Gwen Stefani got her break in Martin Scorsese's new film The Aviator after the movie mogul saw her face posted on a bus stop in New York.

Stefani owes her big screen debut to celebrity photographer Herb Ritts, who captured her as Marllyn Monroe for a spread in Teen Vogue.

The pictures helped her land the role as screen icon Jean Harlow in Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic.

She explains, "Herb was just a friend of mine and he had this whole idea to do this Marilyn on the beach thing, and the poster was up in New York on the side of a bus station.

"Martin Scorsese was driving along and he saw it and was like, 'Who's that girl? Let's get her to play Jean Harlow.' That's how I got the job."