Dame Emma Thompson never intended to go into acting

Emma, whose parents Eric Thompson and Phyllida Law are both actors, told HELLO! magazine: "I didn't grow up wanting to be an actor at all. It always seemed like a rather precarious job to me - and it is! I remember wanting to be a hospital administrator at one point.

"But then, somehow, I became a comedian. Acting came to me from that, rather by accident. I never intended to be doing this for a living, but it's worked out rather well."

Emma's latest film role is alongside her daughter Gaia, 25, who she has with husband Greg Wise, in the action thriller Dead of Winter and she found the picture to be "physically demanding".

The Harry Potter star said: "I had to exercise and get fit. There was a lot of running about, which I'm really not used to.

"It was physically demanding, so much so that I must have pulled pretty much every muscle in my body at some time or another - but I loved it."

Emma explained that the physical challenge was exacerbated by the fact that the film was shot in bitterly cold temperatures in Finland.

She said: "It was -27C at times. I'm English so I thought I was used to the cold, but you've never experienced cold like that."

The Love Actually actress recalled an underwater scene with co-star Judy Greer that was particularly difficult.

Thompson recalled: "We trained for weeks with an amazing man called Kirk Krack (a freediver).

"It was so hard at first, but by the end of those few weeks we could hold our breath underwater for three or four minutes."

Emma thinks her role in Dead of Winter highlights the diverse range of characters offered to older female performers.

Asked if mature stars are being given better roles, she said: "I think so. I don't think it's eye-wateringly more. It's not like: 'Oh my God, thank God!'

"But I've always been a character actor, so I'm not having to let go of any ideals of beauty or body. I think that can dog you.

"I've done more interesting roles in my sixties than at any other time."