Lily James feels "stressed out" that she's being typecast.

Lily James

Lily James

The 'Yesterday' actress admitted she worries about how often she gets offered romantic roles or those of innocent women because she wants to be able to express all the different sides of her personality and skills as a performer.

She said: "It sometimes stresses me out that I'm being offered a lot of roles that fit that description because I have much more to offer than being confined to that 'romantic girl' box - I have many sides to my personality.

"I can get angry quite easily if things bother me... I want to be able to express my many different sides in all sorts of characters."

But Lily has taken heart from advice she was given by her mentor, 'Cinderella' director Sir Kenneth Branagh.

She told Psychologies: "When I was working with Kenneth Branagh on 'Cinderella', he told me I must be patient and that I had a long career ahead of me and opportunities would open up in time.

"That advice keeps me from getting upset or worrying too much about being typecast."

The 30-year-old star shot to fame playing Lady Rose in 'Downton Abbey' and went on to star in more historical productions, such as 'War and Peace', so she's relieved to now be finding roles in more contemporary films.

She added: "It was a long time coming and I honestly couldn't wait. I was starting to feel persecuted by corsets! I was lucky to have played those parts though it's more that you don't want people to think of you only in those terms.

"In this profession, it's almost impossible to plan your work in advance- all you can do is wait and choose the best projects available. You're dependent on circumstances."


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