NEW YORK - AVN Female Performer of the Year Sasha Grey has been cast as the lead in director Steven Sodergbergh's new film The Girlfriend Experience.

The Magnolia Pictures production is now shooting on location in New York.

Written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, The Girlfriend Experience explores the world of prostitution from the viewpoint of a $10,000 a night call girl.

"To have the opportunity to work for an Academy Award-winning auteur is truly a great honor," Grey told AVN. "I've been an admirer of Soderbergh's films for years, and I am elated that I have been given a leading role in a character-driven film."

Soderbergh won the Academy Award for Best Director for Traffic in 2000 after scoring nominations for Erin Brockovich and Sex Lies and Videotape. His recent films include Ocean's Eleven and its two sequels, and the Che Guevara biopics The Argentine and Guerrilla.

AVN broke the news that Soderbergh was considering Grey for the part in April.