Kate Beckinsale is perhaps better known now or being an action babe than a dramatic thespian - but she wants to change all that.

The British actress has revealed that she gets a bit sick of her "sex bomb" image, and was pleased to get the opportunity to play a more "real" part in her latest movie Snow Angels, where she portrays a working class mum who has left her suicidal husband.

"It worked a tiny bit too well. It became 'She's very tough, she's a bit too sexy," she told Entertainment Weekly magazine.

"I feel very exposed [in Snow Angels]. You kind of catch me a little bit because it feels very real. I'd been wanting to do something more dramatic. The sex bomb thing is totally fun but you want to take the red shoes off sometimes."

What's more - her family can't take her action hero persona seriously.

"There's nothing more ludicrous than me being in an action movie. My whole family still thinks it's a riot that I was ever allowed to hold a gun."

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