Although the film was a little hit and miss*, there were some things we enjoyed about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

One of those things was Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, the sultry half-fish half-woman who spent half the film floating around in a box, and the other half looking longingly at Sam Claflin. We recently caught up with our favourite mermaid (sorry Ariel/Daryl Hannah), and had a chat about experiencing the release of Pirates, the difficulties of working in a foreign language and the merits of deceiving small children.

HeyUGuys: How has it been being so involved with the release of such a big film?

Astrid Bergès-Frisbey: I feel I had an amazing opportunity to learn, and to work with amazing, talented people. It was a challenge for me. It’s always a bit strange to watch yourself on screen for the first time. I remember having people saying ‘I watched you as a mermaid’ and seeing my picture is a bit strange, but sometimes that is a good [thing]. I feel really lucky to have had this opportunity, it was amazing for me.

HUG: If there was something in the film that you could change, what would it be?

ABF: If I had the opportunity to be cast before – I don’t know if you know, I jumped from the movie I did just before to this one in one weekend.

HUG: So it was very quickly straight on then?

ABF: I did a movie with Daniel Auteuil just before, I was the lead. I finished on Friday night, and on Monday, the next Monday, I was on set in Hawaii. It was quite tiring, and if I could [change] something, it would be that, to redo that, and to have the opportunity to prepare myself a bit more with the English, and to be a bit more comfortable with the team. Sometimes it was difficult to talk it was complicated at the beginning of the journey, so I’d change that, just to be a bit more comfortable.

 HUG: So, are you now looking to work on expand outside of European productions and work on more American or British films?

ABF: Not at the moment. In a way it’s important for me to be strong in my countries, in France and in Spain. If I [spread myself too thin] I think I’ll just be lost. And obviously, at the moment, I can’t really do an English-speaking  part, like a British girl, or an American girl. Maybe I could do it now with six months of preparation, but my feeling is that it depends on the project. It depends on the script, depends on the characters, depends on the director. I will go where my heart wants me to go.

HUG: There has been talk about a Pirates sequel, I’m sure Disney are quite keen for it. Is that something you think you’ll be involved with?

ABF: Everything is possible in a Pirates movie. In the previous one, some of the dead characters came back. Everything is possible. I don’t know at the moment. I know Jerry Bruckheimer, at the moment is more focused on The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp. Obviously I wish to be part of the next one because the opportunity to work with an excited and marvellous crew would be a pleasure, and to continue the story with Syrena could be amazing, but we don’t know at the moment.

HUG: You mentioned in previous interviews that you were looking forward to showing your little sister the film. What was her reaction to it? Did she enjoy you as a mermaid?

ABF: Yes, a lot. This summer she was telling me secrets like, ‘look, I’m like a mermaid, I swim like a mermaid’. She was completely without voice after the movie, going, ‘how could you do that?’ I don’t know if I told you the story, but the first picture I showed her of me as a mermaid, when I was in creature form she was completely speechless, [and then asked] ‘How is that possible? I want to be like that’, and I told her that Rob Marshall is a bit like Santa Claus he’s magical, like a magician, he transforms me every day on set like that. At the moment she still believes that.

 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is out on DVD and Blu-ray now.

*Mostly miss