I've fallen for English sense of humour, says Birdsong heroine

French actress Clémence Poésy - star of Birdsong - says she wants to work more in Britain after being seduced by the English sense of humour.

The 29-year-old Parisian appeared in French films and television series before winning the role of Fleur in the Harry Potter series and becoming a household name in the BBC adaptation of Sebastian Faulks's First World War love story.

Poésy said she had to turn to humour to find friends when she first came to London for work.

She said: "My favourite thing about the English is their sense of humour. I knew I had to make an effort if I wanted people to be friends with me. I had to be funny otherwise no one would want to have a drink with me. But it made me want to work over here more."

Poésy set pulses racing with her on-screen romance with Birdsong co-star Eddie Redmayne but confessed the graphic sex scenes were far from easy.

She said: "You can't really get over the embarrassment. I know people like Keira Knightley do things like drink shots before filming. But I handle them by just not really watching them afterwards. You're somewhere really strange in your mind when you're doing it you try not to think that you're doing anything."

Poésy - who was a presenter at the Evening Standard's British Film Awards this week - has just completed filming Mr Morgan's Last Love with Sir Michael Caine. He plays a retired professor who falls in love with her Parisian character. The movie is set for release this year.