Did you get this part because you were in "The Assassin", a remake of another Luc Besson film?

I had never met him, so I was really happy when my agent told me "Luc Besson wants to meet you". I thought, He's never gonna want to work with me after being in a remake of his movie. I really am very dubious of remakes - I did "The Assassin" for selfish reasons, it was such a great role.

How would you describe your character in "Kiss of the Dragon"?

My character is that wonderful kind of Luc Besson woman - she's really tough and resilient but also very fragile and sensitive. She is hopeful moment-to-moment, and yet without hope. She's incredibly rough and gentle, she is crass and crude. It's a great combination of things. As Luc described to me when we were in rehearsals, "This is somebody who finds it too painful to think five feet beyond her. She only sees right in front of her." Every moment is survival.

What did you think of your co-star Jet Li?

I love Jet Li, he's really special. He's got this wonderful cinematic quality, and yet he's really soulful. I had seen him before and been enchanted. I knew that with Jet Li there would be some really great martial arts fight scenes, which I love when they're really good. I was raised on Bruce Lee.

Did you have to train for the role?

No, but I did train for "The Assassin". I was in the best shape of my life. I felt like I was when I was 8-years-old. It should always be like that, but it requires so much work and I'm very lazy. I hate exercise.

"Kiss of the Dragon" opens in the UK on Friday 9th November 2001.