Kelly Macdonald: 'I was obsessed with vampires and wanted to be Winona Ryder'

Kelly Macdonald says she was completely obsessed with vampires as a youngster – right down to having her own little set of teeth.

For someone who dreamed of being Winona Ryder, it’s apt that Macdonald’s latest movie sees her playing a starring role in horror-comedy The Radleys.

Based on the book by Matt Haig, it’s about a seemingly average family with a big secret.

“I’m sort of used to playing mums at this stage of my life but this is mum with a difference,” said Macdonald.

“She’s got more secrets on the go than anyone else in the family and she’s sort of masking who she is and trying to run away from it.

“It’s pretty gory in places, it will appeal to teenagers though. The teenager I was, was completely obsessed with vampires and I was always in the horror section of the library – I even had my own set of little teeth.

“It was just amazing working with Damian Lewis, I got to work with him times two because he’s playing twin brothers in this; it was a lot of fun.”

Macdonald got her big break in the acting world when she was cast as school pupil Diane in the 1996 blockbuster Trainspotting.

That was the moment she realised a career in the acting was a genuine possibility.

She said: “There was nothing in my life that told me that that was a possibility, and Glasgow’s not like the centre of that industry or anything. I would sort of play act in my room on my own, always. I kind of wanted to be Winona Ryder.”

Recalling her Trainspotting audition, she added: “I was given a flyer for an open audition and I had been thinking about drama school. Some film was going to be made in Glasgow and Edinburgh and they were looking for people in my age range, so I went along hoping that I could get some audition experience and I kept getting called back and then I got the part in Trainspotting.

“It was really nerve-wracking, I nearly didn’t walk into the room. I sort of looked through the window and was about to leave and then somebody a lot bolder and brighter than me sort of linked my arm and said ‘is this the audition’ and she took me into the room with her.

“I get nervous first days, I get nervous doing things like this. I’ve got a very low-key life at home. I go from that to something like this and I find it quite different.

“It’s sort of bonkers. You kind of have to hold yourself different, be different. My family sort of don’t recognise me when I’m doing things like this.

“I think you would be surprised how many shy actors there are.”

Macdonald lives in Glasgow and says she’s happiest spending time with family at home.

“I don’t get noticed too much. If I go into the city centre, I feel eyes on me a bit more. When my kids were a bit younger it would be little girls coming up with their mums, who would say ‘she is a big fan of Brave’ and the little kids would generally be very confused because I don’t look like Merida. I would get some sort of recognition when I started talking.

“She’s a very good role model. I felt that at the time and she doesn’t need Prince Charming in the end, it’s not about that.

“I was just saying to somebody I don’t utilise the city as much I should probably. I kind of like my house, being at home, my family, my dogs and the people, I suppose, that I meet in the park. That’s my two areas.”