LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Australian actress Abbie Cornish says the period costumes she wore in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" helped her get into character.
"I think it does make a difference," Cornish told reporters in Los Angeles recently. "I found, unexpectedly, actually, that the costumes for me became a key to who Bess was or, more so, in a sense, how she was feeling about her life in that particular point in time."
In the film, which takes place in the 16th Century, Cornish plays Queen Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting.
"The first week on set of wearing a corset, I felt very restricted and I felt I couldn't breathe properly. I didn't have my full lung capacity," Cornish recalled. "And I actually felt a little bit miserable and I started to wonder: 'Wow! This woman has one of the most prestigious jobs in the court and she has these beautiful clothes, beautiful jewelry and yet she can't breathe properly; there is a lack of freedom.' It got me thinking: 'How does she feel?' There is an exterior and then there is an interior and that is quite constrained.'"
Co-starring Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen, the film will be in theaters Friday.
