Kate Beckinsale, 33, has a past that’s gossip-column gold. In 2003 the actress left actor Michael Sheen (father of her then four-year-old daughter, Lily) and started dating Len Wiseman, director of Underworld—the film in which both she and Sheen were starring. Juicy stuff for the tabloids…and yet somehow Beckinsale managed to escape unscathed: She remained friends with her ex, avoided media scrutiny and held on to her wholesome image. How did she succeed where other high-profile heartbreakers have failed? “From the beginning, all three of us put Lily first, and then it was kind of easy,” Beckinsale explains. Today, she is so close with her ex that sometimes they, along with their partners, all put Lily to bed together.
Early on, Beckinsale was forced to adapt to life’s toughest situations: When she was five, her much-beloved father, Richard Beckinsale—one of Britain’s most famous television actors—died unexpectedly of a heart attack at 31. She and her mother moved to London, and Beckinsale kept her father’s legacy alive by becoming an actress. Her big break came when she was cast as the lead in the 2001 blockbuster Pearl Harbor, followed by 2004’s Van Helsing and The Aviator, and 2006’s Click. Today, Beckinsale finds herself in the position every actress dreams about: She lands starring roles but still manages to travel below the radar. During her Glamour interview at Shutters Hotel on the Beach in Santa Monica, California, no one blinks an eye at her, despite the fact that she looks every inch the A-list star. Too bad for all of them—if they’d just listened in a bit, they’d have discovered just how clever, charming and flat-out cool Beckinsale is. Read on to see for yourself.
GLAMOUR: So you’re starring in Vacancy, a horror movie in which you and Luke Wilson play a couple who realize they’re about to become the victims of a snuff film. You also met your husband on the set of a vampire movie. What’s the deal—do you have a thing for getting chopped up on screen?
KATE BECKINSALE: [Laughs.] Yes, it is one of those horror movies that has lots of blood, guts and gore, but it’s also about a relationship that’s falling apart. That’s what attracted me to the material. I hear it’s very good, but I haven’t seen it!
GLAMOUR: Would you promote a film you hated?
KATE BECKINSALE: It happens. But what’s really lovely is when you’re proud of a movie you’ve done and look forward to doing the press. Obviously I’ve had great experiences with people I’ve worked with on films—I’ve married half of them! I should come with a warning sign that says, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to marry you. I’m done.” [Laughs.]
GLAMOUR: You and your ex are still close. How did you pull that off?
KB: It took three people who were willing to be incredibly generous, grown-up and mature. I give enormous credit to Michael and Len for the way they’ve handled things. As a result, I have an amazing child with three great parents. I feel slightly sorry for kids who’ve got only two!
GLAMOUR: Has anything surprised you about being married to an American?
KB: I do find it extraordinary that men are so prepared to pay for your dinner here. That simply never happens in England. When I first got together with Len, I couldn’t understand why it seemed like he was always trying to get into my side of the car. He was holding the door open for me! I don’t know what you teach American men in school here, but you have to keep it up, because it’s extremely charming.
You can view and read all of the other question GLAMOUR had for Kate here
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