Itching to go

Michael Radford first asked me to do a play after finishing his film Dancing At The Blue Iguana. It was either this or The Philadelphia Story. I asked him to make the choice.

I'd never done a play before and I trusted his judgement. But I was relieved when he chose The Seven Year Itch because it was less pressure on me. During the first scenes you only hear my voice from offstage. It's a very nice entrance - it's playful and you can have fun with it.

I hadn't seen the film since I was young and I didn't want to see it again because I thought I'd do a shabby impersonation of Marilyn Monroe.

There are some similarities to the character I played in Dancing At The Blue Iguana, so I could use elements of that character and build around her. It gave me a head start. And I like the play - it's entertaining and a funny script, but there's also an edginess to it. It's a bit like slipping into a warm bath as an introduction to me being onstage.

We have a short time to get it on to the stage. I am rehearsing from 10am to 10pm and sometimes I have meetings before and after. As luck would have it, the only day I had off I was struck down by a virus. Luckily it was a one-day virus!

I can't believe how many theatres there are in London. It's amazing. There are many more than in New York. We went out the other night to see Stones In His Pockets. Those guys were so great: I wanted to get up and give them a standing ovation, but nobody else did and I was too shy to be the first on my feet. Now I feel very guilty about it because they deserved it.

It's incredibly daunting as well. Michael said, "See what you're up against?" The only reason I'm doing this is because he asked me to. I'd be doing it in a farmhouse in the country if he'd asked.