Andie MacDowell: I'm always sorry

Andie MacDowell blames her habit of apologising on her southern roots.

The Four Weddings and a Funeral star is instantly recognisable thanks to her dark hair and southern twang and says it's a lot more than just speech patterns she picked up from her childhood in South Carolina.

"Oh, all southern women say they're sorry," Andie laughed when People magazine asked her the last time she apologised. "You could do almost anything, bump into someone, don't spread the jam right, you're always sorry. I've had people tell me to stop saying it so much!"

While her manners may be impeccable in some respects, the 56-year-old isn't immune to cursing.

Her language is often littered with expletives, although she never swore when her now grown up children were youngsters.

"Two days ago," she admitted when quizzed on the last time she cursed. "I never did when my kids [Justin, 28, Rainey, 25, and Margaret, 19] were little, and then I got into a bad habit. I'm working super hard to stop."

The American actress is currently starring in TV show Cedar Cove, where she takes on the lead role of Municipal Court Judge Olivia Lockhart.

While she's been in the business for more than 30 years, Andie is still prone to forgetting her co-stars' names every now and again.

"I play games on-set at work. Sometimes I can't remember people's names, so I start throwing out clues. Like if I can't think of George Clooney, I'll say, 'You know, drop-dead gorgeous, was on a big TV show...' Until someone says his name, I can't finish my story," she smiled.