Kate Beckinsale (38) was seen out in Beverly Hills on Tuesday afternoon (13 December). Later that day, the actress and her husband Len Wiseman attended a dinner party at the SLS Hotel to celebrate her cover shoot for FLAUNT magazine.
In the accompanying interview, Beckinsale spoke about raising her 12-year-old Lily, speaking Russian, her body image and living with a film director.
Raising a tween: It's great, but at some point you have to realize that you've become deeply embarrassing to them after having been relatively cool for a while.
Being an embarrassing parent: She's mortified. My husband and I are always like, 'Come on! We're young; we're cool.' No, we're not apparently. We're not allowed to laugh in public. We're not allowed to dance - ever. I hope [it will pass], but I'm quite enjoying it right now actually. All I have to do is laugh really loud and she's destroyed - it's like kryptonite.
Source 1, Source 2, Source 3
Being a working mother: It's one thing to have a three-year old on set, but then suddenly school becomes something you shouldn't miss - that's why I didn't work for the past couple of years. And, really, there wasn't anything earth-shattering I felt I couldn't live without doing. And now she's in the seventh grade!
On speaking Russian: I did a shoot with Russian stylists the other day and they were quite surprised. I felt bad because they were talking among themselves and I didn't want them to suddenly say 'Oh, isn't she terrifying-looking in real life,' so I had to say 'I understand you!' just in case.
On body image: Well, I think not being 18 helps. You spend a lot of time being horrified about things when you're younger. By the time you hit 30, you've gotten to the point where you know your body and you feel comfortable with it. But by then, you're thinking 'Oh God, in a few years, is a hair going to be growing out of my chin?' It's important not to become completely obsessive, though. I think it makes you a deeply dull person.
Having a director husband: I've only ever had two major relationships in my life [the last with Lily's father, Michael Sheen] and they've both been with people in the industry. My mother was an actor, my father was an actor, my stepfather was a director - I haven't really had a blueprint of how to make it work with a civilian. I didn't know I'd end up with a director just like my mother, though!
