Character: Sarah Beaumont
Actor: Rosamund Pike
Episode: The German Woman

New Bond girl Rosamund Pike's feet have hardly touched the ground. Her starring role in Foyle's War comes hot on the heels of her acclaimed performances in Love in a Cold Climate and Wives and Daughters - and soon after filming she was snapped up to star alongside Pierce Brosnan in the 007 movie Die Another Day.

Says Rosamund: "I always wanted to be an actress and it does seem strange to think how lucky I have been. I may have been a bit young and unknowing when I did Wives and Daughters, and I feel amazed in retrospect. Foyle's War was perfect timing as it came at the end of my degree course at Oxford."

Sarah is the only daughter of landowner Henry Beaumont (Robert Hardy). She clashes with her stepmother Greta (Joanna Kanska) over the family trust, which will make her rich upon her marriage to Michael Turner (Dominic Mafham).

"Sarah is a lonely child and she is on the brink of the most exciting time of her life. But it's the worst time as well because she feels Greta wants to spoil her happiness. On first sight Sarah seems spoilt and thoughtless but I feel sorry for her, too."

Adds Rosamund: "I thought the setting added an extra dimension. A small village in wartime with a German woman in its midst made for an edgy climate and enhanced the murder story. The dialogue was so good and the scenes played themselves out at a good pace with no sense of rush. And it was so fascinating to work with Robert Hardy and Dominic Mafham."Rosamund researched the role by reading a book on wartime Britain by Anne Valery.

"She worked in BBC radio and discovered photographs that were censored at the time of the war. She has written a book about life on the home front and what it was like to live at that time. How people would share rationing, gardening and clothes. Women felt it was their responsibility to wear bright colours because of the war.

"The book also explains the British obsession with the weather. When it was cloudy you would be protected from bombers, so clear skies were a bad thing. The pictures of the bombings made me realise how the destruction affected the villages."

Rosamund had an input into Sarah's costume, which was made up of authentic pieces.

"She is not that radical but we decided to have a scene where she wore trousers. That would have been a big deal but it was her instinct to move towards independence. She is less neat than Greta, almost rebelling against someone so immaculate. Sarah also wears bright lipstick, even after Greta dies - but at that stage make up was quite primitive and everyone wore one strong red colour."

Despite her previous roles, Rosamund is keen not to be seen as purely an actress in costume dramas.

"People do say I have a good period face and I like doing costume dramas but I would like to think I am not stuck in a time warp. People stick labels on you but stories are stories whatever era they are in. You are coming at period roles from a modern perspective and you tap the contemporary back into it, so there is always a cross reference."

September 2002; Publicity Release