Joseph Fiennes might be clad in frilly shirts and tights in his latest film, but even that attire doesn't diminish his character's pulling power, as he takes the virginity of Elizabeth I in a remarkable new film.

"The whole idea of the Queen being in bed with her lover was absolutely great." says 27-year-old Joseph, who plays courtier Robert Dudley. "The love making is rather strange in that we only see moving drapes around a four-poster bed, but it's quite clear what's going on."

The scene between Joseph and actress Cate Blanchett, who plays the Queen in the new movie Elizabeth, will help put him firmly on the road to stardom. With his broody good looks, dark hair and brown eyes, Joseph was judged to have the right charisma to play a man who could have changed history.

And he seems certain to one day enjoy similar fame to that of his 35-year-old brother Ralph, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in Schindler's List and The English Patient.

The similarity ends there. Whereas Ralph is cautious and avoids interviews, Joseph is warm and welcoming.

He's already won rave reviews as the lead in the romantic comedy Martha Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence, and he's set for even greater recognition next year when he plays William Shakespeare oppositeGwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare In Love.

But Joseph gallantly gives credit to his girlfriend of seven years, actress Sara Griffiths, for seeing him through. "I was lucky to meet her when I was still a student," he says. "We met at an audition, where the first rule is normally to get your head down and have tunnel vision in trying to get the job."

"This time, our eyes met and I was really distracted. We started going out and have been good for each other ever since."

"It's been a struggle because this business has absolutely no compassion. We've been out of work together and out of work separately. The rarity is to have actually been working at the same time. But we decided to take the good with the bad and try to get on with our lives together."

"It's wonderful for me to be with a partner. Every job has its problems, but acting seems to be about constant rejection."

"When I was struggling, Sara put food on the table and looked after me. I know there are some people who say that actors shouldn't have relationships with each other, but it's worked well for us."

The wait has paid off handsomely for Joseph, whose performance as the romantic, lusty Dudley in Elizabeth will make him hot property in Hollywood. Sara, meanwhile, is starring in An Inspector Calls at London's Garrick Theatre.

"We have to have a cool attitude," he says. "We have the same agent, but different phone lines in our flat, so it isn't a case of one of us being disappointed if the other gets some work."

"It's helped that I've seen Ralph go through some lean, difficult patches. I know that there's no guarantee of anything. Even now, I'm half thinking 'What's next?'"

Joseph, who with twin Jacob is the youngest of six children, moved constantly as a boy as his photographer father Mark and his late mother Jini bought and sold homes in Suffolk, the West Country and Ireland.

"We had a crazy upbringing," he recalls. "My parents main income came from doing up selling houses. The good thing was, when you started a new school you could reinvent yourself."

"I had to make friends and communicate quickly and that's where the acting bug came from. Education came second to everything and my own schooling was rather poor."

"I left school at 16 and went to art school in Suffolk - where we were based at the time - and left home for London at 17. I got involved in youth theatre and worked as a dogsbody."

"Every member of our family was brought up with the joy of literature and art, enjoying creative thinking and the outdoor life. Our mother was an inspiration - she encouraged everyone in the family to invest time in what they wanted to do, regardless of what it was."

"It helps having a brother who's an actor. He's given me help when looking at the work in a different way. After that, you're on your own. No one's going to give you a job on the strength of your name."

But Joseph seems to be having few problems these days. Elizabeth has already sparked controversy, for there's no firm evidence that his character, Dudley, Earl of Leicester, ever had an affair with Elizabeth, knows during her 1158 - 1603 reign as the Virgin Queen.

"There was a sexual relationship," insists Joseph. "They knew each other from their teenage years, but couldn't be kept under surveillance all the time. Although everyone professed their love for her, Dudley did actually love her."

Although the film is packed with star names - Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush plays Sir Francis Walsingham, England's first professional spy, and Lord [Richard] Attenborough is Elizabeth' adviser Sir William Cecil - most excitement during filming surrounded former Manchester United footballer Eric Cantona's role.

"When he arrived to play the French ambassador there was an awed silence," says Joseph. "Chris Eccleston, who plays the Duke of Norfolk, treated him with the greatest respect. He's a Manchester United fan and to him, Eric is a God."

So with Elizabeth and the forthcoming Shakespeare In Love, Joseph is fast becoming established as the man in tights."

"I love the period and the clothes, because men dressed up like peacocks," he says. "I'd put on my Levi's at the end of the day, thinking: 'I shouldn't be dressed like this. I've just had sex with the Queen of Eng-land.'"