Emilia: My cancer scare made playing Kate so emotional

THE film about Kate Greene’s list has been an emotional experience for Emilia Fox too.

The actress – daughter of actors Edward Fox and Joanna David and mother of six-year-old Rose – said playing the part of Kate had been both fulfilling and thought provoking. ‘It will stay with me for a very, very long time,’ she said.

‘As a mother myself the role touched me in a way no other has. It made me think long and hard about my mortality, and what that could mean for Rose. Being a mother is the most important role in my life.’

Fox, pictured, had her own cancer scare six years ago when she discovered an enlarged mole on her shoulder. A biopsy revealed it was benign but it forced her to contemplate the future in a way she had not before. And consider the implications a life threatening disease could have for her daughter.

‘I would never equate what happened to me with the enormity of Kate’s experience,’ she insists. ‘But my own scare made me promise myself never to take for granted t the life that Rose and I have. That said I wouldn’t want her to see it too young in case it made her worry about me dying. ‘And what playing Kate taught me was never to live life in the past, but for the future. To grasp every moment and to cherish what we have now. ‘Kate’s story affected all the crew deeply. One chose to drive home from Bristol to Wales each evening, just so that he could hug his kids every night.’ Filming was emotionally draining for Emilia. ‘I felt an enormous responsibility because I wasn’t playing a fictional character but a woman who had lived. And who had surviving family. ‘I talked to St John for hours about her personality. I felt I was being slightly intrusive but he was generous and helped me to capture her character. ‘Other friends of hers, in particular one who had undergone chemotherapy, talked me through the process, even giving me her diaries to read so I could understand the array of emotions sufferers undergo.’