Thandie My London

Thandie Newton - My London
Sylvia Mulder, ES Magazine
07.08.09 Home is...
Northwest London. I have been living there for a long time now, I really enjoy it.

Where did you last go on holiday?
I went to the Borgo Santo Pietro hotel in Tuscany recently, which was beautiful. One of my favourite family holidays was spent at the Carlisle Bay hotel in Antigua. Everything was right on the beach, so my husband and I could watch our two daughters play while having delicious food. The Cuixmala in Mexico was also heaven on earth. The girls released baby turtles into the ocean which they loved.

Which London shops do you rely on?
The farmers' market in Queens Park is incredible. I get my food for the week there. I also love Little Davis in the East End for ecologically responsible children's clothes. Start, in EC2, has a beautiful range of clothes, from Stella McCartney to Chloé. Everything there is wonderfully tailored.

What advice would you give a tourist?
Come in the winter when it's a bit quieter and not completely packed with tourists, so you can see the real London. It's the best time to visit the city, because the lights are on and you can spend a cosy night in the pub.

What's the best meal you've had in London?
I love the River Café in Hammersmith; I try to go there at least a couple of times a month.

What's your earliest London memory?
When I was 12 I got a part in the Royal Festival Ballet's The Nutcracker as one of the children. My whole family came from Cornwall for three weeks and I was performing every night and all the matinées. It was a dream come true.

What would be on your tombstone?
It's a really sad idea, so I'd rather not think about it.

What are you most afraid of?
Bees becoming extinct. There are scientific theories, which I'm a believer in, that claim that four years after bees become extinct, humans will, too, because bees are the key to the human cycle.

What are your guilty pleasures?
Watching Curb Your Enthusiasm in bed with a box of Baker & Spice chocolate cookies.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?
Oh, that's a never-ending list, but one thing I'd definitely do is make everyone do charity work.

What animal would you most like to be?
My mutt Maggie, because she gets to spoon my eldest daughter [Ripley] every night.

What was the last album you downloaded?
The album of this upcoming singer called Speech Debelle. It's fantastically lyrical; I love it.

What would you save from a fire? Other than my loved ones, I'd save my BlackBerry. It's so useful, and if there's a fire in my house I guess I'd need to call some people!

What makes you laugh?
The comedian Danny McBride. He's wonderfully self-conscious.

What are you up to at the moment?
I have a film coming out soon, called 2012, which is directed by Roland Emmerich. And next week I'm going to South Africa to teach an acting workshop at Oprah's girls' school. She asked me herself, so I'm really honoured.

Where do you shop in London?
Church Street in Marylebone, because it's like an interiors Walhalla. I absolutely love Alfies Antique Market. My favourite stall is called Dodo and it sells antique posters - I have several.

What do you like to wear?
At the moment I love my Georgina Goodman nude leather gladiator flats.

What's your favourite London pub?
The Chamberlayne in Queens Park. When my husband and I take the dogs for a long walk we usually pop in there for a cider, and the dogs can come in as well.

What are your favourite London discoveries?
Jivamukti Yoga came to Kensal Road a few years ago from New York and it is just a temple of self-love and energy.

Have you ever stolen anything?
I've stolen small change from my daughter's money box for parking. I will replace it, though.

Thandie Newton is the new face of Martini Rosato 'Stay Beautiful'.