Yes, it would have made a difference - and the casting agent knew that. They won�t admit it, but they knew it. Because if it had said: "Alien priest, actress must be fit, statuesque, between 25 and 45 and prepared to shave off all of her hair and eyebrows for five years," I would have gone "I don�t think so".

So, the casting agent knew that I�d be perfect for the part, but they omitted to tell me they had to shave my hair because they knew [I wouldn�t do it].

It was the make-up artist who told me. Everyone maintains [the situation was] "Oops, did you tell her? Didn�t you tell her? Oh dear," but I think it was a big ploy. Maybe everybody did forget, but do you know what? By them forgetting they got me.

[At the audition] I was wondering where all the other girls were that I usually audition with were, because [you get] pretty typecast, and if I�m going for a role usually they want someone who�s kind of statuesque - another way of saying tall - so you get all the statuesque actresses coming out of the woodwork. There�s generally about ten other actresses who are similar to me, with tall, high cheek bones, that slightly elegant look, blond, long hair, that I always see at every audition. When I was auditioning for [Zhaan] I thought "Where are they? This is bizarre." I saw a room full of really young girls, really short, which was strange because it said statuesque, and with very very short hair.

Of course, everybody else except me managed to get the brief with "By the way you will be bald and blue." All those girls had very very short hair, so it was no big deal for them to cut it, whereas with me, my hair was down to here. So I�m glad they did keep it from me.