Francesca Annis: 'Remember, I didn't choose to be an actress'

Francesca Annis, 58, has appeared in 56 films including David Lynch's Dune and Roman Polanski's Macbeth. Her television roles range from Lillie Langtry to Emma Bovary, her stage plays from Ibsen to Frayn. She has three children by her partner of 23 years, Patrick Wiseman, but now lives with actor Ralph Fiennes, 19 years her junior. She has just opened in Noel Coward's The Vortex.

How is the play going?

I love doing it. I'm trying to learn to smoke, which is rather weird when everyone is trying to stop. I'm not a smoker, which [director] Michael Grandage says is quite apparent. But that's OK because my character Florence only smokes as an affectation.

Your character has a much younger lover. Do you identify with her?

I am not Florence Lancaster! She is having an affair with someone who is the same age as her son, 24 years younger than her. Ralph is not the same age as my son! The character is a married woman openly having an affair. I have never been married. But there are observations and things I relate to. And I do find acting cathartic.

How do you feel about getting older?

I think I've achieved a lot by living this long! You've got to embrace your age. Thank God we're not like America: everyone wants to look like they're 20. In Europe we admire grown-up women; I think men revere older women.

Would you have plastic surgery?

Sometimes I think, "What about a little tweak?" but then there's a phone call or my mother might be ill, or I see a friend ... and I forget it. I think people have surgery for psychological reasons more than because of their looks.

Do you have any beauty secrets?

Eat well, and sleep well.That will feed your nervous system and your psyche. As you get older, you look how you feel.

Any memories of growing up in Brazil?

I remember chasing a turkey round the yard after finding out it was going to get its throat cut, poor thing. And snippets of the beach – my parents owned a nightclub on Copacabana beach. From one till seven, when we moved to England, I spoke only Portuguese. But I can't speak a word of it now. Not a word.

Do you have a Brazilian temperament?

Yes, I think I have. That's where Annis gets her hedonistic side. I go out to clubs with my kids – not often, I don't want to sound like an idiot – but I'll dance to anything: Bob Marley or rap. And I also come from a very hospitable, close, Catholic, matriarchal family.

Are you still a Catholic?

I was a strict practising Catholic until I was 21. I used to want to be a nun – like anyone at a convent school who is romantic. I was going to be a Carmelite. It's a non-speaking order – can you imagine? Luckily for them, I moved on. I fell in love with a mortal, a boy. I suppose they'd say I'd fallen from the ultimate love.

Aged 17, you were cast by Joseph Mankiewicz in Cleopatra (1963) and you never went to drama school. Whom did you learn from?

I don't think I learnt anything about acting from Liz Taylor [Cleopatra]. Roman Polanski was very good although off-set he was misogynistic and would hardly let you speak. He taught me not to do too much on camera. Then at the RSC Judi Dench and Ian McKellen taught me how to work hard and respect the theatre. Because remember, I didn't choose to be an actress.

Was Polanski sensitive about the murders in Macbeth?

Roman's wife Sharon Tate had been murdered by Charles Manson the year before [1969], but Roman had been through so much leaving the Warsaw ghetto that he was very strong and private. But when we were filming the murder of Macduff's children, he came in and told the set designers, "No, that's not enough blood. It's not really like that" – and started throwing it around on the set. That made us think.

What do you do before you go on stage?

I get very, very nervous. I try to relieve the tension so I can get out there. I don't have the Tannoy on. Some actors get fired up by the sound of the audience. I don't – I just want to retreat. People have told me, "Francesca, they've paid to come. They want to see it. They're not out there with machine guns.The natives are friendly."

Do you have trouble remembering your lines? Julie Christie recently announced she had developed a memory defect.

That's just called getting older! I do have trouble and it is terrifying, because it takes much longer now. But you have to be careful not to let fear stop you doing things. It's very exciting to test yourself. I used to suffer from excessive pride – I'd be crippled if it wasn't immaculate. Well, I got over that one.

Do you think romantic love comes once in a lifetime?

No, you can love more than one person in your life, but things will be different. There'll be a different dynamic. Needs and desires change.

Do you prefer stage or film?

I don't really have a preference. Sometimes sushi is just superb, and other times there's nothing like a great big steak. It depends where your taste buds are at the time.

'The Vortex' runs until 15 February at the Donmar Warehouse, London WC2 (020 7369 1732)

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