TV & Movies
And how she united two Mr. Darcys on and off the screen.
Everybody seems to be in love with Jean.
Its a bit embarrassing, really, Kelly Macdonald says with a laugh.
They positioned love letters from Pam with the corpse, and a picture, too.
The woman in the picture was, in fact, Jean.
you’re able to see why, Macdonald muses.
Jeans an independent woman of a certain age.
The duo are long-time friends, and acted alongside each other in the 2005 family filmNanny McPhee.
Weeks later, Macdonald secured the female lead for herself.
Of their on-screen reunion, she tells me: Colins like family.
We had the greatest time.
It was really nice going in and knowing them both, the actor admits.
It was lovely watching their relationship begin.
Even though it was a dark time, there was a great nightlife and dancing.
People wanted that escape, Macdonald remarks.
It was a bit like the pandemic.
People couldnt go anywhere, yet they just wanted to be somewhere else.
Theyre more than happy to let their work speak for itself.
This is something Macdonald, who retreats from the public eye in her native Glasgow, can relate to.
Fame is a funny old thing, she says pensively.
I suddenly realise what Im here for.
Badly, Macdonald tells me, bluntly.
It was a very strange time for me because Id never been so exposed.
I had to stop going online.
The fact the show aired during lockdown in 2021 only added to the intensity of the experience.
The show is owned by the viewers.
It was overwhelming, the actor remarks.
And I thought I was, I thought I understood.
Im going to need years.
I need to look back at it from a distance, she admits.
I find it hard to know how I feel about it all.
When she was first approached about the project, Macdonald didnt hesitate to get involved.
Everyone just loves the French one so much.
Its a lot to live up to, she admits.
Interestingly, Macdonald didnt feel the pressure of playing herself on camera until her first day on set.
It felt like I was really doing the show, the actor recalls.
It was only then that I actually started to worry about playing me, and how to do it.
In the first episode of the French series, celebrated Belgian actress Cecile de France makes a cameo appearance.
Upon hearing that her agent has lied to her about this, Cecile fires him.
When confronting her agent in a cafe, Macdonald pours a green juice over his head.
And Macdonald is only too aware of the conversations surrounding female actors and their age.
Im in my 40s, so you do start to think about it [ageing].
Ive started buying a slightly more expensive face cream, Macdonald laughs.
And I wash my face at night now, so thats new.
A luxurious face cream and a nightly splash of water?
Nowthatsa beauty routine we can get on board with.
This article was originally published onApril 19, 2022
