Just got back from the filming of 20th Century Fox's extravaganza ANNA AND THE KING (of Siam) in Ipoh, two hours north of here. No, I was not Anna although my English accent would have been equally as bad as Jodie Foster's.

Her simpering dialogue coach would run up and say, "That was perfect! But if you want to make it even more perfect --"

I played an attitudinal European, "Lady Hay", in 1870s Bangkok. This mainly amounted to being uncomfortably-trussed-up-in-the-tropics and giving Jodie the evil eye around town, and at the big banquet and ball thrown by gorgeous King Mongkut at his Winter Palace.

I also did my share in giving her and Chow Yun Fat a really hard time out on the marble dance floor. With 25 barely-trained couples it quickly became more like a bruising, tripping, sweaty mosh pit than an evening of civilized diversion. The editor will have to be a genius to make us look like we know what we're doing.

We'll be waltzing across the screen in December.