Kristen Wiig daydreams on the job

Actress Kristen Wiig is wearing an awkwardly short dress at the Australian premiere of The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. And she is calling attention to it.

Speaking to the audience at Sydney Entertainment Centre on Nov 21, she says: "Hi, I'm going to keep my hand here 'cause my dress is showing. I'm going to be sitting, I'm just going to have my hand here the whole time, sorry.

"I was going to steal a napkin from the restaurant we were at, but it would be weird to walk up here with it. So I really am going to keep my hand here."

Many actresses have probably found themselves in the same predicament before, but it is entirely in keeping with Wiig's straightforward charms that she would make an announcement about it.

Best known for starring in the hit comedy Bridesmaids (2011), which she also co-wrote, she plays the love interest of the titular timid magazine employee in The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. The film opens here today.

The two first met when Stiller stood in as last-minute host for an absentee Eddie Murphy on the long-running comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live in 2011.

Wiig, 40, was a cast member from 2005 till last year.

It was an easy decision for her to do the film, she says. "We just got along really well. We talked about the project a little bit and I read the script.

"And of course, I've always been a fan of Ben, especially as a director. He is very thoughtful in his work and focused and he really, really cares about it."

The way Mitty's imagination takes flight also struck a chord with her and she sees daydreaming as being integral to the creative process.

"Especially for film-makers, writers and actors, in some way, it's almost part of the job.

"When you're acting, you're using the imagination of yourself and your character to find the person you're playing, does that make sense? When you're writing, you have the whole world to do what you want."

She also sees an inspirational message in the film. "It reminds us to connect with people in an age where we are so connected with our phones and things like that. And it makes people want to travel and, I don't know, go after their dreams."

Wiig, who was reportedly dating drummer Fabrizio Moretti, 33, from American rock band The Strokes, has some dreams of her own to reach for.

She says: "I would like to direct one day, hopefully. That's something that I want to do, and the other things I'm going to keep private."

It probably means that her other goals have nothing to do with short dresses.

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