Kate Beckinsale is "not interested" in playing likeable characters.

The British actress says her main ambition in approaching a role is to make the person she is playing seem "human" rather than have the audience warm to them.

She said:  "I'm not attracted to characters who are instantly likable, nor am I that interested in making them likable. My goal is to make them real, to find what makes them human and empathetic, to trace a certain logic that explains why a character is how she is."

The 38-year-old actress also credited her role in 2003 vampire movie 'Underworld' for making her more willing to move out of her comfort zone, both professionally and personally.

She said: "'Underworld' forced me out of my head, and I really needed that done. Now I can put myself through things I find horrifying and emotional and know I will survive."

Despite receiving widespread critical acclaim for many of her movie roles, Kate believes she still has't produced her best work.

She told Manhattan magazine:  "Really, I'm a late bloomer. My best work is to come."