Most people wouldn’t have thought of you for the role of a witch. Did Matthew Vaughn (the director) see you in something similar? 

I don’t know. I don’t think so. Maybe he just thought I was evil! 

You were a great Catwoman. What attracted you to the role of Lamia in Stardust? 

Lots of things. I loved the script and I was really excited about working with such a fantastic cast. Matthew Vaughn had a great vision of what he wanted the film to be about. A lot of it was filmed in Skye, too and I thought it would be amazing to go to Scotland. Everything combined, it was too good an opportunity to miss. 

What makes you want to play these witchy characters? 

I like all kinds of characters and I do think that I like playing damaged characters — the more flawed the better. I think it’s more like real people, believe it or not. We’re all good and we’re all evil. Certainly playing parts like Lamia and Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray are more challenging just because they’re a little riskier. There are a lot of pitfalls where you can easily underplay it or overplay it and you’re sort of walking a tightrope the whole time. That makes it more exciting. 

What was your reaction the first time you saw your witch make-up in the mirror? 

It was an evolution because the first time we did it, it took six hours and it was almost like monster make-up. Not that what I ended up with wasn’t. I remember calling Matthew and saying, ‘Matthew, I look like a monster!’ So we kept toning it down and bringing it down. 

How did it feel to have such a lot of make-up on? 

I  remember actually feeling encased in all of that. It just never occurred to me what that would feel like. I immediately tried to go into a bit of a trance, which I don’t even know how to do. I don’t meditate. I thought, ‘You are really going to have to work on this to get through it.’ 

Was it easier to act the character when you were in that make-up? 

Well, it’s easier to over-act the character when you’re in that much make-up. It really sets the bar for you. You have to rise to the level of what’s happening physically. With Hairspray I had to rise to the level of everything around me — it’s not about being subtle. With Stardust, it’s a kind of comic book character and you have to be the villain and be truly scary but, at the same time, you have to remember it’s for kids and you have to allow for humour and lighter moments. 

How much do you know about your character’s history? It seems like she’s stayed alive a really long time. 

She’s been around for about five thousand years. We didn’t really pin it down to an exact number — a lot of it we decided to make up. We decided these witches were really coming to the end of their life cycle and, even as old as they can live, there is an end date to them. 

There is some comment in Stardust about how women are upset these days about the way they look and will do almost anything to keep looking young.

That was the thing that was most intriguing for me. Matthew explained how he really wanted to poke fun at that and kind of shine a light on it — the degree to which women will go to find eternal youth. How we mutilate ourselves and the general obsession we have with youth. 

A lot of teenage girls are fascinated with witches when they’re growing up. Were you? 

I don’t think I was, actually — I wasn’t into fairies and witches. I was sort of a tomboy and out in the mud and beating up the boys. That kind of thing. 

But you became a beauty queen. 

Well, that was very unlikely for me — very unlikely. I was a really big tomboy. One of the things my teacher used to write on my report card was, ‘Michelle is one of the biggest girls in class.’ Like it was some compliment to me. I grew really quickly and I was big, apparently, and the teachers felt they needed to point this out to my parents, when all I really wanted to be was one of the petite little girls. My mother always cut my hair short and there was nothing feminine about me. On the beauty pageant thing, that’s what got me into acting. A friend of mine knew about a beauty pageant where there was a judge who was a commercial agent who had been known to sign girls and that was my ticket. I decided it was worth entering to see if I could get an agent out of it. 

That must have helped you get revenge on those teachers who thought you were big! 

And also, I was always sort of chatty. My report cards said, ‘She talks too much and she’s big’! 

Did you have a favourite toy or game when you were growing up? 

I had a Barbie that had interchangeable wigs. Do you know those Barbies? I loved that doll! So I suppose there was a bit of me that was girlie! 

Were you hurt doing this film in any way? There were things flying around. 

No, but my skin felt bad. It was like I was having constant dermabrasion or something. I’m sure I lost so many layers of skin with the peels. Every day they had to peel off those prosthetics and it took at least an hour, peeling, peeling. 

Did you ever think, ‘Why did I take this role’? 

Yes! 

Would you think twice about doing another role where you have to wear so much make-up? 

Yes, I would. I think I would just know now what I was getting myself into whereas before I don’t think any of us on the production were really prepared for it. None of us had done a prosthetics movie before so everyone was taken by surprise by how long it took and the toll it took on us. So, I would just go into any similar project knowing I had to set it up in a different way. 

How early did you have to go in on the big make-up days? 

Four or five in the morning. At one point I think I came in at three in the morning because I wanted to get a flight to come home and, in order to get the work done, they had to bring me in that early. 

You are a witch doing a lot of magic. With all the special effects, did you have any input on how you would do it? 

Not really. The team had specific ideas. They had all that worked out. 

Did you find it easy to imagine green fire or other effects?

No, it’s not easy. You just have to do it the best that you can and hope that you don’t look like a total idiot. You feel foolish. 

What do you think are your good and bad points? 

I’m really bad at balancing my cheque book and actually, I love maths so it doesn’t make sense. I’m bad at returning phone calls, too. I’m really good at building things, physically building things. I took some light fixtures off the ceiling in my house the other day and the electricians came in the next day and said they’d do things like that for me. I said to them, ‘Oh no! I know how to do this.’ I also built a playhouse for my kids. I like building things, I enjoy it. I like knitting and making things. I’m like a little arts and crafts whizz!

Have you been more selective about work in recent years — what makes you agree to a role these days? 

Well, first of all I love working. I’d work all the time if I wasn’t a mother — I’ve always loved working. I entered the workforce when I was 14 and it was great. I like feeling productive. I’m not one to sit around, but I’m more selective because I have less time. I have other things that need my attention so I’m lucky enough that I can do both. It just takes a little more thinking about and scheduling becomes more of an obstacle and an issue but it’s do-able. It’s worth it to me because I love both. I love being with my family and my kids are really important to me but I also love working so I’ve managed. Sometimes the scales might get tipped in one direction or the other but, overall, I think I’ve done a really good job balancing the two. 

Was this film shot during school holidays? 

Mostly. I started and the kids were still in school and then, when I went for the biggest chunk of it, they came and they stayed and had a great time. Actually, my son said the other day that London was his favourite city. I was so happy and delighted to hear that. 

By Emily Blunt/Planet Syndication.