Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows' star Michelle Pfeiffer finds vampires sexy

The actress signed up to appear in Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows' - which is based on the 1960s gothic soap opera of the same name - because she wanted to appear as a bloodsucker and had been a fan of the original series when she was younger.

She said: "It was the first vampire I remember, and vampires have always been, and still are, kind of sexy. I don't know why. But as a young girl - I think I was about eight - I found it quite scary. 'Dark Shadows' when we were small was a little bit naughty, a little bit taboo, a little bit dark, a little bit sexy. It was rather racy for afternoon TV."

Michelle, 53, hadn't worked with Tim since she played Catwoman in 'Batman Returns' 20 years ago, but was so excited about the film - which also stars Johnny Depp - she phoned him up to ask him if she could be in it, which is something she never usually does.

She added to Empire magazine: "I can count maybe two or three times in my life when I've called a director. I was really uncomfortable doing it, and I don't think I would have done it had I not known it was him.

"He was very lovely, he was the same Tim. I always feel very comfortable with him, as we have very similar backgrounds, we grew up in similar neighbourhoods and obviously watched the same TV shows."

'Dark Shadows' is released on May 11.

Michelle Pfeiffer struggled to see herself as a "sexual person" for many years

Michelle Pfeiffer

The 53-year-old actress - who is married to TV producer David E. Kelly - has admitted it wasn't until she portrayed "sexually appealing" Susie Diamond in 'The Fabulous Baker Boys' when she was 31 that she decided to stop looking like a "bag lady".

She said: "I struggled with my own image as a sexual person. That ended with a film, 'The Fabulous Baker Boys' in 1989, by which time I was 31.

"Even two years before that, I would not have been able to play the part of the sexually appealing Susie Diamond. She was dynamic and unapologetic and I was able to put on those clothes and play the part. I think, because of the way I looked, I had stayed away from buying anything sexy or overtly sexual.

"It was a turning point for me, because I could understand why men would find her sexy. I wish I'd been more like her. Before that, I would walk around looking like a bag lady!"

However, the 'Dark Shadows' star explained becoming a mother to daughter Claudia Rose, 18, and son John Henry, 17, was the biggest "turning point" of her life because it has been the most rewarding thing she has done with her life.

Michelle added in an interview with The Sun newspaper: "The biggest turning point in my life was becoming a mother. If you had told me when I was 18 that I could survive on three hours' sleep a night, I'd have never believed it. You just cope.

"I would not choose a show-business career for my children. I would say, 'Be a doctor, or something else.' The value of a good education has never left me."