WITH her chic, shiny bob and stylish, basic-black designer outfit, Selma Blair would fit in at any posh event in Hollywood.
But Blair's elegant look for her interview in a Beverly Hills hotel is a long way from her wardrobe for the US adaptation of the Australian television hit Kath&Kim.
Blair, who has never shied away from embarrassing herself for a role, says she has struggled with the off-set reminders of her less-than-style-savvy character, Kim - including the straggly hair extensions, a 9kg weight gain and the acrylic fingernails she had to adopt.
"I wear rhinestones on my nails - this is a new thing for me, because I have to wear these nails in real life, so I'm always apologising for them,'' she says with a laugh.
"Then I realise I'm apologising to people who have these nails - so I'm insulting people every day.
"It's been really, really strange wearing this wardrobe around and having all this hair.
"It's been fascinating asking: `What does an American girl think makes her really pretty?'
"They think it's pretty to have hair extensions, even if people know that they're extensions.
"It looks so fake and ugly, but it's a status symbol.''
Blair has no costume complaints when it comes to her latest film, the comic blockbuster Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.
She reprises the role of Liz Sherman, a fire-throwing member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development team, on which Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is the muscle.
Her character's human appearance proved a boon for Blair. She avoided the lengthy transformation endured by her co-stars, who spent as long as seven hours in the make-up chair each day to become members of Oscar-nominated director Guillermo Del Toro's monster menagerie.
"I was so lucky that I didn't have to wear prosthetics - I actually got to sleep,'' she laughs.
"My call time (for make-up) was six in the morning - theirs was one, and they had wrapped filming only an hour before.
"They would drive home, take their watch off, go to the bathroom, put their watch back on and go back to the set - I don't know how they did it.''
Blair has made a name playing quirky characters. Her scene-stealing performances in films such as the romantic comedy The Sweetest Thing and the drama Cruel Intentions have often outshone those of her better-known co-stars.
The 36-year-old, who could easily pass for 15 years younger, says she's drawn to offbeat roles that often involve her in embarrassing situations.
"I need to do something just a little off,'' she says.
"When I'm trying to do just a regular girl, there's no point - just get some cute girl-next-door. I can't do that regular thing.
"When I try to be charming, it just falls flat. I'm not afraid of playing the fool - I think a lot of humour can come out of it.''
Blair's acting break came in 1998 when, at 26, she was cast as a virginal 14-year-old in Cruel Intentions.
"An agent saw me, thought I was a lot younger than I was, and that was it - I got to be a working actress,'' she says.
"I went from struggling to get some little independent films to just getting to do what I love to do - and I don't know what I'd do if I didn't do this.''
Blair says many of her seeming ridiculous characters are inspired by people she knows.
"Even when the people I play are so over the top that you think: `Oh, that can't be real', it's always based on someone real.
"Otherwise, I'd be too embarrassed to play it.''
Such is the case for Kath &Kim: Blair based her whining, wannabe Kim on two women she knows.
"I based them on two people who crack me up. One wants to be a trophy wife, the other never will be. They're really funny people,'' she says.
Blair stars opposite Molly Shannon in the series, based on comedy duo Gina Riley and Jane Turner's hit show about a dysfunctional mother and daughter.
The US adaptation, which has been picked up by NBC for 13 episodes and will make its debut in October, is shot in Los Angeles but based in Florida's sprawling middle-class suburbs.
"We're middle-class, celebrity-obsessed, tabloid-crazy and kind of superficial - we think we're so fabulous but we're not at all,'' Blair says.
"I think I'm a trophy wife, but my husband works at Best Buy (an electronics chain store) - I'm a bit delusional.
"My husband expects me to do things like microwave a dinner every once in a while - but I'm, like, a trophy wife and I don't do that, so I move back in with my mum.
"She can't wait to get rid of me, but at the same time we're really close.
"It's a sophisticated show about common people.
"I think Kath&Kim will do well - I really hope people get it.''
