Johnny English - Natalie Imbruglia interview

NATALIE Imbruglia reveals what it was like to get back into acting, signing on for L'Oreal and why she auditioned for Moulin Rouge at the London press conference to Johnny English...

Q. What was it like moving from the pop scene, which is entirely different to holding your own with these seasoned veterans of extreme comedy?
Natalie Imbruglia: I was very nervous, but they made me feel very comfortable straight away, so it didn't take me long to get comfortable. But I was also very open about the fact that everybody knew I hadn't done it for nine years, so there was a lot of support and everybody was very aware of that, so it was fun, too.

Q. With this [Johnny English] coming out, the second album and the L'Oreal signing, how do you envisage juggling it all? It must be quite challenging?
Natalie Imbruglia:  Yes, it is. I'm going to tread very carefully. I'm hoping to have an album out this year and so it doesn't look like I'll be doing a film this year. But I'm reading scripts all the time, because it is something that I would like to do, but I'm aware of spreading myself too thin. I'd like to try and do it, but I don't have to do a lot of films in a row, so I'll see what happens...

Q. What about success you've had in America, is that significant in regard to your singing career?
Natalie Imbruglia: I guess so. I mean, mainly on the first album, because the second album didn't do as well in the States, so I feel reasonably anonymous there. But now the L'Oreal thing's happened, that's kind of thrown a spanner in the works. But the L'Oreal thing's a very good profile for the States, between records.

Q. When growing up in Australia, who were the actresses you looked up to and if I had the gift of a script to give to you now, what would it be, what are you looking for? What would you really like to do?
Natalie Imbruglia: Probably Nicole Kidman, growing up. She's the only one that springs to mind, really. As far as new projects, it's really about a few things; it's mainly about the character; genre, I'm wide open, there's nothing that I wouldn't try, really, apart from doing a musical. I would have done Moulin Rouge, but it's been done. But it's mainly about the character, and the cast, and the director. But it's really wide open for me; I;m really excited about trying lots of different things...

Why not a musical?
Natalie Imbruglia: Probably because it's very hard to do it well. I was a dance school kid, I'm kind of made to do those kind of films. But I think it's so hard to do them well, I think that Baz Luhrmann has succeeded....

Q. So you're not a fan of Chicago then?
Natalie Imbruglia: I didn't even want to see it. I'm not really a fan of those kind of movies, but I think Baz is so quirky and someone that I would want to work with. I actually auditioned for that role in Moulin Rouge. But it wasn't at a time when I was that famous; I was right in the middle of Torn, and all of that, but because I was a fan of his, I was like 'wow'. But, if you're going to get beaten by somebody, you may as well get beaten by Nicole. But I had fun just auditioning for Baz Luhrmann, it was quite an experience.