BERLIN (AP) -- Michelle Pfeiffer has no problem with getting older - in fact, she says, she found hitting 50 "liberating."

Pfeiffer appeared at the Berlin film festival Tuesday with "Cheri," directed by Stephen Frears, in which she stars as a 1920s lady of leisure who strikes up a relationship with a much younger man, played by Rupert Friend.

"It seems that my leading men just keep getting younger the older I get," Pfeiffer said a news conference. "It seems that people have an aversion to casting people of the same age - luckily for me, I don't really mind it."

"The older you get, the roles actually become more interesting," said Pfeiffer, who turned 50 last year.

"If you think hitting 40 is liberating, wait till you hit 50 - and I was surprised at how liberating it was," she said. "The anticipation of something is always much worse than the reality."

"Cheri," a melodrama which also stars Kathy Bates, is an adaptation of a novel by French writer Colette.

It teams up Pfeiffer and British director Frears 21 years after "Dangerous Liaisons," a film of which the actress said she had "fond memories."

"Cheri," which had its premiere in Berlin, is one of 18 contenders for the top Golden Bear award at the annual festival. The winner will be announced Saturday.

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