Kate Winslet is Hanna Schmitz in Stephen Daldry's The Reader

The British actress has won critical acclaim for her portrayal of a Nazi concentration camp guard who has an affair with a 15-year-old boy - with her efforts being recognised by BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards.

But she admits she was daunted by the prospect of playing a character so complex.

Winslet explains, "At first it was abolutely terrifying, I had nothing from my own life that I could compare with her. I thought, 'Do I have the chops?' Then I was like, 'Kate, stop fannying (messing) around.'

"Even if I didn't like her, I had to understand her."

Source: WENN