AFTER she belittled her co-star on national television, some people in the film industry could be forgiven for thinking twice about working with screen icon Lauren Bacall.

Not so Poole film producer Paul Sarony, who is thrilled to be doing just that during his next project These Foolish Things.

Filming began on the movie in Cheltenham yesterday, although Bacall - who shot to fame co-starring with future husband Humphrey Bogart in 1944's To Have And Have Not - will not be on set for another couple of weeks.

The star hit the headlines last week when she dismissed suggestions that fellow actress Nicole Kidman, with whom she appears in her latest film, Birth, was a legend.

Bacall, 79, told the media: "She's not a legend, she's a beginner. What is this legend? She can't be a legend at whatever age she is. She can't be a legend, you have to be older."

In These Foolish Things, which is set in 1930s London and tells the story of a young actress trying to follow in her mother's footsteps, Bacall plays a West End actress called Dame Lydia.

Paul, from Old Town in Poole, said he was thrilled to have secured the veteran actress for the part.

He added: "It really is working with a legend. We're all very excited about working with both her and Anjelica Huston, who plays the financial backer of the play.

"She will be arriving in a couple of weeks just to do a small section in the middle of the film."

The movie also stars newer talents such as Andrew Lincoln, who appeared in Teachers and Love Actually and Zoe Tapper, who recently starred as Nell Gwyn in the romantic comedy drama Stage Beauty.

Paul said: "This very exciting film, set immediately before the Second World War, was brought to me by the writer and director Julia Taylor Stanley, and I immediately wanted to be involved.

"The quality of the writing has attracted a most amazing cast including great stars plus very exciting new talent.

"We also have been most fortunate in assembling a great cast of cameos from Norman Wisdom, Roy Dotrice, Julia McKenzie and Tony Britton."

The $10 million movie will take seven weeks to film and is expected to hit the cinemas next autumn.

First published: Sept 14