Country superstar Tim McGraw knows a thing or two about music -- and about acting opposite formidable leading ladies (McGraw played Sandra Bullock's husband in 2009's 'Blind Side,' the drama that won her an Academy Award).

McGraw, 43, spoke to OK! this week about his December film 'Country Strong,' in which Gwyneth Paltrow plays a washed-up recording star launching a comeback with help from her husband (McGraw) and a talented upstart (Garret Hedlund).

"The biggest challenge was to be on the screen with Gwyneth," McGraw said of his onscreen wife. "You just want to play to the level [of] the person you're playing against. It certainly made me a better actor, being there with her. Everybody around her rises when she's in a scene."

The Grammy winner (married since 1996 to powerhouse country singer Faith Hill) also reviewed Paltrow's vocals: "She's a great country singer, because when it came out, it was pure honesty. You know, the thing about country music, it's such an honest [type of] music."