Set in Victorian London, the four-part drama The Crimson Petal and The White, adapted from the book by Michel Faber, is a tale of seduction, power and class conflict centered around a vibrant, intelligent and sexually adept prostitute, named Sugar (Romola Garai). When Sugar meets wealthy businessman William Rackham (Chris O’Dowd), he is intrigued by everything she brings to his dreary existence, but as their relationship grows deeper, it also becomes more dangerous.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, actress Romola Garai talked about her attraction to such an extraordinary character, how desperate she was to play this role, how important it was to get all of the little details right, how difficult the sex scenes were, and working with co-star Chris O’Dowd. She also talked about what fans can expect from Season 2 of her BBC drama series The Hour, what it was like to do the sci-fi film Last Days on Mars, and what she looks for in a role. Check out what she had to say after the jump.

I like to see the guild awards, because the specificity allows for nominees that you won’t see on more general lists.  The Art Directors Guild is especially interesting because they separate the films into three categories: period, fantasy, and contemporary.  The 15 nominees highlight everything from Oscar favorites Hugo and The Artist, to crowd-pleasers Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and Captain America, to poorly received films like Cowboys & Aliens and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  There’s a similar contrast in the TV nominees between the classy HBO programs you’d expect (Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, and Mildred Pierce) and the critical punching bags American Horror Story and The Playboy Club.  The full list of nominees is after the break.