Sally Hawkins On ‘Paddington,’ Working With Nicole Kidman & Hugh Bonneville [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]

Sally Hawkins stars in Paddington, a live-action adaptation of the popular children’s book, as the matriarch of the family that takes in the bear whose wanderlust has led him to London.

Sally Hawkins On ‘Paddington’

Hawkins, whose parents were children’s book authors and illustrators, grew up surrounded by children’s books. And though Paddington wasn’t one of the ones that Hawkins was drawn to as a child, the beloved bear had an iconic status similar to that of Winnie the Poo, which made his story familiar.

“[Paddington] was one of those, for some reason, I didn’t pick off the shelf. I went to Maurice Sendak and Where the Wild Things Are for some reason, so that says a lot about me. I came to it slightly later,” Hawkins said. “Paddington, you can’t really exist without knowing him, especially in London or the UK. He’s a character that is very much a part of our culture; he’s in the air. ”

In Paddington, Hawkins plays Mary Brown opposite Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville‘s Henry Brown. The couple, parents to young children, take in the hapless little bear and try to help him acclimate to the strange surroundings of London. While Paddington wreaks some havoc in the Browns’ lives and enjoys the city, he becomes the target of taxidermist Millicent, played by Nicole Kidman.

Hawkins, who has ample experience in comedy, winning rave reviews for her work in Happy Go Lucky and Woody Allen‘s Blue Jasmine, thought that Kidman and Bonneville, who are best known for their dramatic chops, were brilliant. “They are just incredibly smart actors and they can do comedy,” Hawkins vouched.

While Hawkins didn’t get too much time to work with Kidman, she did get to work a lot with her onscreen husband, Bonneville.

“I sadly didn’t get to do much with Nicole. She’s been an icon of mine or a hero of mine for many, many years. I think she is just quite special,” Hawkins said. “Hugh is a very funny man in life…. Improvising with Hugh was just a real treat. I just adore him and he just makes me laugh.”

Paddington is currently in wide release.