Ralph Fiennes says it was the character of Nelly that drew him to The Invisible Woman.
Fiennes is back in the director's chair with the biopic film, which follows the secret love affair that Charles Dickens had with a younger woman.
And while Fiennes takes on the role of Dickens in the film, it was the character of Nelly that was the really pulled on his emotions.
Speaking exclusively to FemaleFirst on the red carpet, the actor said: "It was really the story of Nelly. Because I play Dickens, people think that I drawn to Dickens: which I was. But when I first read it, it was Nelly that was interesting to me.
It was about the fact that here was this woman in her later life, who is wrestling with a secret love affair that happened in her past. It is something that she has not had any closure with.
"I think that everyone will have to deal with an intimate relationship, whether it be a parent, sibling or a lover, that has affected them and changed them and how you reconcile yourself to that and how you live with it. Do you carry it with love? Or do you carry it with sadness and despair? That is what moved me."
The Invisible Woman is the second directorial outing for Fiennes, as he follows on from his debut Coriolanus.
Fiennes has brought together a terrific cast for the film as Felicity Jones, Kristen Scott Thomas and Joanna Scanlon are all on board; they all joined him on the red carpet last night.
The Invisible Woman is released 21st February.
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