Hollywood has been keeping Sydney actress Rose Byrne, 29, busy since she made us all jealous snogging Brad Pitt in 2004's Troy. Now starring opposite Nicolas Cage in the thriller Knowing, Byrne and her boyfriend of six years, writer-actor Brendan Cowell, have relocated to New York, where she films the TV drama Damages alongside Glenn Close. The softly spoken beauty tells WHO's Annette Dasey why she's not your regular show-off star, why Flight of the Conchords makes her teary, and reveals her one regret.

How was working with Nicolas Cage?
Wonderful. He's a real gentleman. He's very hardworking and has a great eccentric sense of humour and is a genuinely lovely person.

Do you and Brendan like New York?
I'm in love with the city. You can impress an Australian with a city, but you can't impress them with a beach. Brendan writes and he really enjoys it in New York.

When was the last time you cried?
Oh my God. I think I was watching Flight of the Conchords and there was this really beautiful sequence where Jemaine was talking about all his ex-girlfriends and this song came on and I welled up.

What's in your handbag?
A book, some Lucas' Papaw Ointment - I swear by that - my mobile phone, my wallet, some elastic bands, my iPod, if I remember it, and a bottle of water.

What's on your iPod?
A real mad, eclectic collection. I've been listening to a lot of She and Him, this band that I'm really into at the moment that Zooey Deschanel did with M. Ward, and also a band called Bon Iver - the album's called For Emma, Forever Ago.

What are your pet hates?
I can't stand arrogance, aloofness, ignorance.

Do you have a vice?
It's so boring! Chocolate. My sister-in-law sent all these Tim Tams over, so I'm eating them.

Do you have any nicknames?
Do I what! Many. Carol. Rodney. Sharon. Rosie. Roxy. Lottie. Lola. They're from my family, friends, work-mates.

What advice do you wish you'd taken?
Don't pluck your eyebrows. They'll never grow back. I did it about a hundred years ago and it's very true.

What do you sing at karaoke?
I don't sing at karaoke. Nup. Not for me. I just sit and watch.

Aren't you a typical exhibitionist actor?
Ah, no, probably not. I'm more low-key.

What's the biggest lie you've heard about yourself?
That my name is Rose Judith Esther Byrne. That's what it says on imdb.com and it's incorrect. My name's Mary Rose Byrne.

What's your ultimate dream?
Answering these questions is like being on the podium for Miss Universe! World peace, really, isn't it?

What's your signature dish?
Roast chook. It's a good Jamie Oliver recipe. It's the only thing I can cook, actually. So that's what you get with me.

What do people find surprising about you?
Usually that I'm much more light-hearted than they think I am. I often do very serious roles, but really I am a big clown.

By Annette Dasey