Fresh Face: Miriam Margolyes

Age: 66

Hometown: Oxford, England

Currently: Making a long-overdue Broadway debut as Madame Morrible in the megahit musical Wicked.

Funny Girl: Known for scene-stealing performances, Margolyes traces her gift for comedy to childhood. "I was always what we call a 'form wag,'" she says, using the British phrase for class clown. "I would do silly things and make people laugh, and that made me feel good." A member of the Footlights stage company while a student at Cambridge, Margolyes broke into performing through radio dramas and developed a talent for voices she's since put to use in Babe, Happy Feet and Flushed Away, among many other animated films. In fact, a chat with the charming actress can turn surreal as she switches effortlessly between her own impeccable Oxbridge tones and a precise imitation of her interviewer's accent. "I can't help it," she says. "When I listen to somebody, straightaway I find the curl in the voice and try to do that."

Broadway, Baby: As Wicked's unsavory schoolmarm Madame Morrible, Margolyes was hailed as a highlight of the London production, but she insists she didn't expect to make her Broadway debut in the show. "It never crossed my mind!" she exclaims. "I'm 66, old and fat, and Broadway musicals didn't seem to quite fit the bill. When they offered it to me, I thought, 'Oh boy, that's a step up.'" More seriously, Margolyes explains that she missed several opportunities to do plays on Broadway over the years, including playing Lovage opposite Vanessa Redgrave in Lettice and Lovage, a production that was scratched because of Redgrave's political views. Two seasons ago, she made it to BAM in The Importance of Being Earnest alongside Lynn Redgrave. "That was exciting, but it's not Broadway, it's Brooklyn," she quips.

The Power of the Stage: Every stage actor waxes poetic on the collaborative nature of theater, but Margolyes is refreshingly honest when asked what she loves most about live performance. "It's a very deep satisfaction in controlling people," she says of the audience. "That's not a very edifying reason, but when I'm out there onstage, I feel so powerful; when I'm walking on the street, I don't. If I say a line a certain way or move a certain way, I will get a reaction, and that's a great feeling. It feeds my ego. I don't know why everybody doesn't want to be an actor, because it's the most fantastic fun."

It's Witchcraft! "Why is everyone so nuts about witches?" muses Margolyes, who, in addition to Wicked, has explored the supernatural as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films. "Is it because we can't face reality?" The actress marvels at Wicked's loyal and enthusiastic fan base. "It touches a chord in people," she says of the musical. "It's not just entertaining; it has a dramatic emotional impact." The warm feelings extend backstage, as well: "All of the companies of Wicked are like a family. Several members of the London company have come to stay with me here, and all these lovely young [Broadway] dancers, the gypsies, have been so welcoming." As for director Joe Mantello, Margolyes calls him "a passionate, fiery Italian with wonderful ideas, who is just great at getting performances."

Best Supporting Actress: Margolyes' long film career includes character parts opposite a dizzying array of stars. She played Claire Danes' Nurse in Romeo + Juliet, Annette Bening's pal in Being Julia, Geoffrey Rush's mom in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and sharp-tongued Mrs. Mingott opposite Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer in The Age of Innocence, just to name a few. Speaking of that lush period piece, she says, "Martin Scorsese sent me flowers on my first night [on Broadway], which was just astonishing. It's more than 10 years since I was in that film!" So, who's nicest movie star? "I really liked Kevin Kline," she says of her screen son though he's only six years younger in I Love You To Death. "He's a marvelous actor and a lovely colleague. And I liked Melanie Griffith very much. I was in that John Schlesinger film Pacific Heights with her and Michael Keaton. I didn't like him at all, but I thought she was lovely."

Under the Tuscan Sun: Though she's happily settled in an apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side, which she calls "the place to be because it's got Lincoln Center on one side and Zabar's on the other," Margolyes knows exactly where she's headed after her final Broadway performance on June 1. "A taxi will be waiting to take me to JFK to fly to London and then to Italy where we have a beautiful Tuscan farmhouse," she says, referring to her longtime partner, whose name she prefers to keep private. "She's a professor at a university, which means that I am massively more intelligent than most actors because I learn from her," Margolyes adds with a laugh. "We've been together for 40 years come July, and everybody will tell you the reason is that we don't live together." Maybe not full-time, but sharing a farmhouse near Siena in June sounds divine. "I bought it in 1973 for $12,500," the actress confides. "Don't you just hate me?" We couldn't if we tried.