You first big acting part was in "Elizabeth". What was it like to work on that?

I did that at a week's notice as someone had dropped out and I was called in to replace them. It was great having a small part on such a big movie, because you haven't got that much responsibility but you get to watch all these fantastic actors like Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett work. It was a brilliant introduction to film.

Was it harder to perform such a pivotal role in "Crush"?

It is a lot of pressure when you've got a lot of scenes, because if you're terrible, you're going to get hung out to dry. It was absolutely terrifying.

Were the sex scenes terrifying too?

Yes! Both Andie MacDowell and I were very embarrassed, but there was lots of protection! [Laughs] No, I mean the love scenes were very technical, which took it away from being too scary. It was also good that the director, John McKay, had a predominantly female crew on set, which is unusual and so refreshing. I've worked on some jobs where you get riggers shouting things like, "Give her one from me mate!", so it was nice to have a sensitive set.

How do you feel about the heart-throb status you seem to have aquired?

It's nothing to do with me. It's very flattering but it's not acting, it's not work, and not something I take very seriously. It's just the way I'm marketed for this film. I'm sure they wouldn't do it if I was playing a gritty coalminer with no hands!