Red Carpet: In Her Shoes

First Gwynnie slams Britain as being cold and depressing; now Cameron Diaz is complaining about the temperature of a fine, crisp London night.

“Have you been outside?” she asks Total Film. “Even you’d need a jacket, right?” OK, so she’s teasing us. Diaz has been signing autographs along the red carpet in front of the Empire Leicester Square cinema for the last hour so we’ll let that slide; she is, after all, more acclimatised to the sun-soaked environs of California.

Diaz has jetted over for the premiere of In Her Shoes, a heart-tugging drama that sees the 33-year-old star pair up with the Australian queen of emotional transparency, Toni Collette, under the guidance of LA Confidential helmer Curtis Hanson. Diaz and Collette play chalk-and-cheese sisters who fall out spectacularly after party girl Maggie (Diaz) shares the business end of a duvet with the beau of her strait-laced sis Rose (Collette).

So what drew them all to the project? “These are the stories that don’t usually get told,” Diaz begins. “It’s not a rom-com. It’s about family and it’s about human issues which is something we all relate to. It’s a real connective tissue to the human soul and it’s something we all need to go through at times where you’re very unsure of yourself. My character puts too much emphasis on her looks and Toni’s character doesn’t really believe in herself in that way. In the journey of the movie they find the positive attributes within themselves.”

“It’s one of the most beautiful scripts I’ve ever read; it’s very honest and true,” adds Collette, who later burst into tears when introduced to the premiere audience, claiming that In Her Shoes was the best job she’s ever had - in particular the experience of working with Diaz and Hanson.

From rapping Eminem biopic and the seedy underbelly of LA to a chick flick about Jimmy Choos? Curtis Hanson, explain yourself. “What can I say? This script made me laugh, it made me cry and I identified with these characters even though I’m a man. I thought if I could convey that spirit of emotion in the movie then it would be very special. I think we did it.”

So what is it with women and shoes? How much, for instance, does Cammy spend a year on her foot-huggers? “I have no idea and I don’t want to know,” she laughs. “I am so bad at keeping receipts.” Something tells us she’ll remember her coat next time she comes to London.