'It was actually jovial and lovely on set': Actress Kelly Macdonald on working with Benedict Cumberbatch in The Child in Time

Kelly Macdonald is set to star in new BBC drama The Child in Time alongside Benedict Cumberbatch (PA)

TRAINSPOTTING star Kelly Macdonald said she did not take her latest role as a grieving parent home with her.

The 41-year-old stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC One adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel, The Child In Time.

Trainspotting 2 premiere – Edinburgh — Kelly Macdonald arriving at the world premiere of T2 Trainspotting at Cineworld in Edinburgh (PA)

She plays Julie, the wife of children’s author Stephen (played by Cumberbatch), whose lives are turned upside down when their young daughter Kate goes missing.

She said: “I tend to work in a way that when a director calls ‘cut’ that’s the end of that, I don’t take things home with me.

‘The starting point was me’: Benedict Cumberbatch says Child in Time character is closer to his real self

“It was actually totally jovial and lovely on set considering.”

The actress said despite the “horrendous thing that has happened, the drama is really about love”.

Undated Sky Atlantic Handout Photo from Boardwalk Empire showing Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Thompson (BSkyB/HBO) — Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Thompson in Boardwalk Empire (BSkyB/HBO)

She explained: “It’s an emotional drama but it’s not depressing. You see the human spirit in it, they are real and human and they still have humour and hope.”

The Scottish actress, who boosted her international profile with her role in the TV series Boardwalk Empire, will next be seen in the film Goodbye Christoper Robin.

She also said she felt actors doing both TV and film were becoming more common.

Set your clocks for #TheChildInTime. ⏰

An adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Sunday 24th September. 9pm. pic.twitter.com/TmUXFFoK5W

— BBC One (@BBCOne) September 14, 2017

She said: “There used to be an almost ‘upstairs/downstairs’ level of condescension when it came to television, if you were a film actor doing television it was seen as a step down.

"Of course it upset me."
Benedict Cumberbatch on #TheChildInTime.

More from Benedict here: https://t.co/ZeACk4wYOI pic.twitter.com/G3RVWNytRJ

— BBC One (@BBCOne) September 15, 2017

“That’s absolutely not the case now, TV is so sophisticated. It seems that the films that are able to get financed these days are often the big blockbusters, which has allowed television to catch up.

“All these interesting stories have had to go to TV to find an outlet.”

The Child In Time airs on BBC One on September 24 at 9pm.