Feature for Confidence

Sitting in a posh Beverly Hills hotel and drinking tea on a sunny Spring afternoon, Rachel Weisz, the strikingly beautiful English star of films like 'About a Boy' and 'The Mummy,' looks serene and relaxed - and about as far as you can get from the dusty Sahara and ancient curses. Instead of a safari outfit and sun hat she's wearing a pale ivory lace top over jeans, and her dark curly hair frames her most noticeable features - her pale, flawless complexion, her large, dark eyes and her strong eyebrows, which arch at the mere mention of camels (more about which later).

Rachel is in town to talk about her new film 'Confidence,' a noir thriller in which she stars as the sexy femme fatale opposite Dustin Hoffman and Ed Burns. Playing an American is becoming second nature to Rachel - after all, she recently moved to New York to be with her new boyfriend, American director Darren Aronofsky. Here, the English beauty talks about everything from boyfriends to kissing scenes, camel breath and how messy she is.

This was your first film with Dustin. Any surprises?

All the time. I've never seen anyone work like him. He works very dangerously as an actor as he never sticks to the script or the lines. He improvises and throws things out, and he does that off camera too. He's totally wild!

Isn't he in your next film too, 'The Runaway Jury'?

(Laughs) He's in all my films. We have very good chemistry and we're actually trying to do a love story together, so if anyone can come up with a script we'd love to do it.

What about working with Ed Burns?

I loved it. He's very charming and a real guy. He's a very old- fashioned, alpha male. He's got no androgyny thing. He's all man, very testosterone. Great!

You once said 'You have to be quite stupid to act.' Do you still feel that way?

Yes, I think it's true in that you have to stop thinking too much and just use your heart and your gut and your instincts. Any intellect just gets in the way. You just have to go with the feeling and not over-analyze.

You have a big kissing scene with Ed. Ever had a nightmare one?

(Laughs) I've been very lucky so far. No awful bad breath. Except those damn camels in 'The Mummy' films. They did warn me about the bad breath, but even so, I wasn't prepared. It was awful, just the worst thing you've ever smelled!

Is it true you said 'Even if they offer me $200 million I'll never do another 'Mummy' film as long as I live'?

No, that's total bullshit and I have no idea where that came from. I never said that! The director, Steve Sommers, is doing a film in Prague now, so maybe when he's finished that one. And if they reunite us all I'd love to get back together. It was so much fun.

What kind of girl are you, when you're not playing a character?

(Laughs) Well, I'm not at all like the tough, sexy femme fatale in 'Confidence' but it's fun to play people who're really different from you, from different cultures and places. I suppose I'm a bit quieter than most of the people I play.

Where do you live now?

I moved to New York last year and I love it. It's a huge change and I've always wanted to spend time there. It's like a more intense London, and everything's up a few notches. The lights are brighter, the pace is faster and the food's better. It's just intense. So I really like it. But sometimes you have to just close the door and shut it all out and light the fire.

Do you walk around Manhattan a lot?

Yeah, you have to, and that's one of the things I really love about it. And I never get bugged. If anyone comes up to me on the street they're pretty respectful.

Do you miss London?

Yes, but I go back all the time, and I still have my flat in London and I'll always keep that. I just don't have pets or plants - nothing living.

You used to date Neil Morissey, the comedian. What happened?

That finished four or five years ago. It just sort of ran its course.

Are you still friends?

Yes, very. I haven't actually seen him in ages but we're on very good terms. He's a very funny guy.

So you and Neil never talked about settling down together?

Well we did, but I didn't feel I was ready for that sort of commitment. I mean, he was pretty great, but it just didn't work out.

Is it harder or easier being with another actor?

I think it's both, and I think two actors together can be a recipe for total disaster. But at the same time you do have a shared language and a shorthand. It's also who you end up meeting as well, isn't it. So if you're busy all the time working on films and plays you don't really meet civilians.

Now you have a new boyfriend, the American director Darren Aronofsky?

Yeah, we've been together for a couple of years and we're very happy together. We managed to keep it pretty quiet for the first year, but I guess people know now.

Any plans to work together?

Not really. Maybe one day but not right now. It's not always a good thing when couples do a film together.

Any plans to get married and have a family?

Yes, I'd love to. I have very conventional fantasies about marriage and kids and the white picket fence. I'm not a loner.

Are you a romantic?

Very, maybe too romantic. I like to be taken care of and supported.

Your director on 'About a Boy' said you were one of the most popular girls at Cambridge and everyone wanted a date with you.

(Giggles) Really? It's hard to know. I don't remember that.

Are men intimidated by you today?

Maybe. No one ever asks me to go out on a date. So I suppose people must get intimidated. But then I get intimidated by people who're in the public eye. You meet someone who's famous and you get scared. It's different if you're working with them and you get to know them. But if you just meet them somewhere. I mean, if I met Renee Zellweger at a party I'd get so nervous! It's weird. I don't know why.

What young woman do you most admire today?

I love Cate Blanchett. I think she's phenomenal, so stylish and a really good actress. There's probably a young female doctor or teacher out there that'd be inspiring, but in terms of people who're well-known it'd have to be Cate. And I love Renee Zellweger. I think she's very stylish and she always looks gorgeous. You know who my role models are? Elvis and Houdini. I'm a huge fan of both. And I still think Madonna's amazing. She constantly reinvents herself and I just went to see her art show in New York the other day and that was great.

What are your vices?

Cigarettes. I managed to give them up for a year and a half but they just lured me back, but then I managed to throw them away again this morning. And now there's no smoking in New York, no smoking in the bars. There's nowhere to smoke anymore, so maybe that'll stop me.

What about shopping. Do you like to buy clothes?

God no! I hate it, absolutely hate it. I can't stand it, it's such a drag. So I just tend to wear the same things all the time. I don't like change anyway. I'm actually a bit of a jeans person, but my favorite designer is Narciso Rodriguez (??). He's great. But basically I'm just not into clothes that much.

Do you have any strange habits?

I'm a bit superstitious about certain things, like what shoes to wear. If I wear the wrong shoes, the whole day may go wrong. Or if I don't get to the bottom of the stairs before the door closes - stupid little things like that. Then I also have all the normal ones, like don't walk under ladders and so on.

How do you relax when you're not busy?

I wish I had some exotic hobby like doing yoga upside down on a tightrope, but I don't. I just like good conversation, and I love seeing my friends and going out for a great meal.

Do you cook?

Not really. I'm learning, but I'm not very good at it. I'm obsessed with those big Japanese noodles - that's my new hobby, eating those (laughs).

What music do you listen to?

Right now I've been really into the new White Stripes album. I love it.

Are you a very organized person?

Good God no! I'm incredibly messy which drives all my boyfriends mad. There's always stuff lying around my room everywhere. I try to organize my flat and buy furniture and keep it clean but I'm not very good at things like that. I struggle with all that. I don't have a very good homemaking instinct, although I want to - I'm really, really working hard on it now. It's getting a little better but it's just not me, to be honest.

Is your career all-consuming now?

Last year it was. I did four films back-to-back and that was pretty nutty. But now I'm having a rest. I need it!