Time for tears is past, it's time for action

Producing genuine tears on demand is one of the hardest parts of my job as an actress. Acting teachers will tell you that in order to cry on screen you need to summon up something personal - a fear, an inner secret, a sad experience - that taps into your deepest emotions.

This may sound strange, but the inner secret I use when I need to cry during a movie scene is the image of an elephant. It's an image that haunts me, an image that will remain in my heart and mind for as long as I live.

Two years ago I visited Samburu National Reserve, a wildlife park in Kenya. There, on a guided walk through the bush, I saw my first dead elephant. Poachers had hunted down this magnificent animal before piercing her tough hide with poisoned spears. As if she already knew her fate, the elephant had walked through the bush, the toxins coursing through her veins, until she found a quiet place to lie down. She chose to die in the cool shade of an acacia tree.