The troubled actress has been preparing for her forthcoming portrayal of late legend Elizabeth Taylor in TV movie Liz And Dick, which will chronicle the tempestuous love affair between her and Welsh actor Richard Burton.

"I have watched Cleopatra dozens of times, and studied her performance in detail. I have to play Cleopatra. I realise how important it is not to muck this up. This is my chance to get on with my life," the 25-year-old told the Daily Mail.

"I like the structure [of working]. You have to be there in the morning, so that means you can't go out the night before. I've learnt a lot of lessons, and that's one of them," she added.

Lindsay - whose career has been upstaged by legal and personal problems - told how she had been given a ring by Elizabeth before her death in March 2011.

"I treasure it. It came with this beautiful note, hand-written by Elizabeth Taylor, which was very encouraging about my work - and that work is something I should concentrate on," she said.

"It's a costume ring. It has a cognac-coloured stone with precious stones set round it. After I was sent it, I put the ring and letter away in a safe place so I wouldn't lose it. But I took them out recently when I was asked to portray her. It's a tiny connection to her," she continued.