Macdonald was ‘freaked out’ seeing herself in character

Kelly Macdonald has admitted she was “freaked out” when she saw herself on screen playing a grieving mum determined to unmask the killer of her nine-year-old son after the man is released from prison with a new identity.

The Trainspotting and Gosford Park star admitted she was taken aback to see the transformation in her character in The Victim, which flashes back from her High Court trial to the aftermath of a vicious attack on a bus driver.

Macdonald stars opposite John Hannah and James Harkness in The Victim, a four-part drama being shown this week on BBC One.

Speaking after a Bafta Scotland screening of the first episode, Macdonald said: “This was the first time I’ve seen any of it. I’m still a bit freaked out.

“It was interesting watching it to see how different Anna is in the family home or in the courtroom. She is entirely flawed and has all these different layers. I’m really glad it worked.

“I wanted to play someone who was quite unlikeable. It didn’t weigh heavy on me. It was all on the page. It was easy to play the scenes as they were so well written. When you first meet my character you’re immediately on her side, but your loyalty shifts away from her in places, as she behaves in unlawful ways and at some points is maniacal in striving for what she believes is the truth.

“It’s almost like a mental illness which makes actors able to do what they do, and behave in ways that someone has written for you.”