Rosamund Pike is ready to "sit back" and take a break.
The 39-year-old actress can next be seen as late war correspondent Marie Colvin in ‘A Perfect War’ and then famed scientist Marie Curie in ‘Radioactive’ and she now wants some time to just be herself.
Asked what’s next for her, she said: "I just want to sit back for a bit. Pretending to be someone else is quite fragmentary, so it’s important to just be you for a while."
But the ‘Gone Girl’ star is also keen to work with directors she’s impressed by – but admitted they may think she’s "awful".
She added: "And I want to work with the directors who have blown me away this year. ‘Roma’ by Alfonso Cuarón is the most beautiful piece of work. I’d love to work with him. Why not say it? He might think I’m awful but if you never say it, you never find out. You have to speak your truth."
The actress admitted she often felt "at a loss" while preparing for ‘A Perfect War’ because there was so much about her character she had to learn and develop.
She said: "At the end of the film, Marie says, ‘Fear comes later when it’s all over.’ And now I’ve done it, sometimes I think, ‘How did I have the audacity?’
"There were definitely times I felt at a loss in the preparation; that it was too big, that there was too much to change. The voice, the smoking, the head gestures, her laugh, her walk, her brain… everything, really."
As part of her preparations, Rosamund spoke with some of Marie’s friends, including journalist Rosie Boycott and politician Jane Bonham-Carter and though she had a "horrible fear" about what they’d think of her portrayal, she was able to put her worries aside because she’s proud of the project.
She told Britain’s Marie Claire magazine: "Rosie lent me a sweater that was Marie’s [to wear in the film], which was very moving. There’s a horrible fear that you’ve dared to tread in their dear friend’s shoes, and that can make you feel quite apologetic at times, although in this case, I’m not apologetic because we’ve made the film with the fiercest integrity.
"Gradually, people trusted that Matt [Heineman, the director] and I were committed to depicting their friend truthfully and not for any Hollywood-isation."
Rosamund Pike wants a break
