What was it like to play Percy Thompson, the murder victim of the piece?

It was really refreshing to play a real person. Little things, like letters, that would remind you that this person existed. It heightens the game. I mean, what’s my motivation? A front-cover from The Times in 1923, that’s my motivation. I’m a big fan of biopics, anyway, and being in one was really enjoyable.

Did you do much research?

In the end, I decided not to. You can get a stack of newspapers from seventy years ago, and talk to relatives, but for the sake of the film, I concocted Percy. I’m sure he didn’t necessarily talk or act the way I made him, but I desperately wanted to make him sympathetic, which was at the expense of the historic reality. It wasn’t a documentary. I wanted to make people understand his plight, and if I did that by giving him a stiff collar, a fob watch, a pipe and a silly haircut, then so be it.

How did you feel playing someone so irritating?

No one thinks they’re irritating. Nobody thinks they’re boring. So if you’re playing a character like that you have to play them as how they think of themselves. He thinks he’s really funny, quite suave, a little bit dashing, and got a lot of panache - it’s that that makes him irritating. It’s Frank Burns from "M*A*S*H", really.

Did you choose "Another Life" partly to move away from your "Lock, Stock" image?

One of the reasons for doing it was that after "Lock, Stock" I did a couple of not-so-good films, from America. It was all a bit like running around with guns strapped under my arm, saying cheesy things in an American accent. I just needed a bit of reality and this was it.

Read an interview with co-star Ioan Gruffud talking about his role in "Another Life".