(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Julianna Margulies has sacrificed friends for the sake of her career.

The actress appeared as Nurse Carol Hathaway in American hospital drama ER, and is now playing lawyer Alicia Florrick in The Good Wife. The legal drama has received high praise from critics, with Julianna receiving a Golden Globe Award for her part last year.

She loves working on the show, but admits it has impacted her life. The 44-year-old has two-year-old son Kieran with her husband Keith Lieberthal, and sometimes struggles to find time to see her family.

It's juggling. A balancing act. Took half of last season to work it out. There's always that piece you worry about. The point is, I couldn't live without either my personal or professional life. I need to work. To have my own life. Not financially emotionally, she explained. But you sacrifice friends. You never see a girlfriend for lunch.

Julianna makes sure she spends as much time as possible with her loved ones at weekends, when she isnt working. Her hectic schedule is made easier by her husband, who is hugely supportive of her career. She explained having Keiths backing is vital, as it makes her less worried about how busy she is.

My husband Keith's a lawyer who knows this is fleeting, not the rest of our lives, she told the New York Post. Not going on until I'm 80. I get two-and-a-half months off every summer, and he loves the show, which makes for an understanding relationship. (C) Cover Media