Kate Beckinsale gives "direction" when she is at home.

The actress has worked with her filmmaker husband Len Wiseman on several movies but insists she rules the roost in their personal life.

Kate claims that Len sometimes needs gentle reminders to keep on top of the more mundane aspects of everyday life.

"It's quite strange being directed by him, actually, because normally he's taking direction from me at home. He never knows where anything is and he can't remember if he likes parsnips and things like that. I'm usually in charge of going, No, you don't like parsnips. You said they taste like perfume'. He gets fooled because they look like potatoes," she told British newspaper The Sun. "Anyway, that's our life. So it is a slight gear change."

Kate added that she appreciates her husband's understanding nature when it comes to filming romantic scenes with a co-star.

The 39-year-old said that while the Total Recall director is laidback in that respect, she wouldn't like to see him cosy up to an actress if the roles were reversed.

"It's nice that Len is not very jealous and can be relaxed about me doing these scenes, but he would never be allowed to do that," she insisted.