The 5-minute Interview: Sophie Winkleman, Actress

'I've no sense of direction, and I've no self-discipline'

Sophie Winkleman, 27, has appeared in films and television series including 'The Chronicles of Narnia', 'Peep Show' and 'The Trial of Tony Blair'. She plays Princess Eleanor in ITV's 'The Palace' – available on DVD from today.

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be ...

Baking a cake, probably a walnut coffee one.

A phrase I use too often ...

"Chicken". No one really likes it, but I can't stop saying it. I don't know why it keeps coming out of my mouth.

I wish people would take more notice of ...

Older people. I get quite upset over how neglected they are in Britain.

The most surprising thing that happened to me is ...

Being mistaken for the characters I play. The other day in Waitrose, a woman told me "you shouldn't be so horrible to your brother". I realised she thought I really was the evil princess in The Palace. My role must have been quite convincing!

I am not a politician but ...

If I were, I would never have entered the completely illegal and utterly unfounded Iraq war.

I'm good at ...

Drawing. And singing songs from musicals. I'm obsessed with them. Sometimes I think I'm a gay man.

I'm very bad at ...

Having a sense of direction. And I've no self-discipline. I can't diet.

The ideal night out is ...

A night in at my home with my friend Coggie.

In moments of weakness I ...

Smoke cigarettes.

You know me as an actress, but in truer life, I'd have been ...

A baker who wrote children's books about magic cakes. When I try to concentrate, I really enjoy writing.

The best age to be is ...

18 to 19 is definitely a brilliant age. Equally, 50 or 60 should be good. Everything is done, you can relax a bit.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this ...

Try to exercise gentleness, kindness and humour and you cannot go far wrong.

Susannah Peter