Rebecca Hall has spoken out about the difficulties of dealing with her rising fame since dating film director Sam Mendes and of the childhood shyness that still haunts her.
The 32-year-old star of the forthcoming Iron Man 3 movie says she suffers from anxiety in shops but has learned to control her nerves and deal with her profile as a leading lady.
Mendes, who was previously married to Kate Winslet, confirmed he was dating Hall in 2011. They met in 2006 when he cast her in Starter For Ten.
In an interview with InStyle magazine she was asked about the headlines when their relationship was revealed, including speculation that she was a cause of his break-up with Winslet.
Hall said: "It’s what happens when you start going out with a famous person and are a bit famous yourself, I guess. It's their [other people's] problem though. Everyone can be interested but I’m still not going to talk about it."
Asked if she believed in lasting love she replied: "Ideally, yes", and on working with Mendes again: "Of course I’d work with him. He needs to ask me to do something."
She went into acting despite being "painfully shy". "I still get attacks of shyness when I’m paying for things in shops. I was painfully shy as a child, to the point where my parents would say, 'Have you made any friends yet?'"
Read the full interview in the May issue of InStyle magazine, out tomorrow — plus digital edition available on all tablets.
