Just a minute with actress Minnie Driver

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - British actress and singer-songwriter Minnie Driver has won critical acclaim for her Oscar-nominated performance in the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting" and her role in the U.S. TV series "The Riches".

She is also a long-time supporter of Oxfam's fair trade campaign that aims to give consumers the opportunity to use their purchasing power to help the poor.

Driver talked to Reuters about her career, being a celebrity and her charity work.

Q: What are you currently working on and has the writers' strike affected you?

A: "My TV show starts again in March -- the strike has just ended. I haven't been able to work since November, it's been awful for everyone. It is an absolutely righteous fight, but I'm very glad its over."

Q: Is it good that they called off the strike before the Oscars?

A: "You know what, the Oscars had a lot to do with helping. The loss of revenue would have been enormous."

Q: You've traveled extensively as part of your charity work -- what in particular stood out for you?

A: "Cambodia and Thailand. In terms of seeing how trade is, seeing how women who live and work there ... there is an absence of choice. That is just something that I have never experienced in my life.