蜜芽传媒

Can you describe your character, Max?
Max is a high-flying lawyer. He is successful and appears to have everything you could wish for. He enjoys all the trappings his success brings and, as we discover, isn’t afraid to bend the rules to maintain or further that success.

What is his relationship with his brother Jake like?
It’s a strained relationship which has been exacerbated by time and distance and the fact they’re very, very different people. Jake and Max don’t really communicate that much. They certainly don’t see each other often unless they’re dragged together by family events, like the wedding which precedes the opening of Guilt. The only thing that periodically brings them together is the record shop, Leith Beats, which Max bought for Jake after the death of their mother. Ostensibly this looks like an act of kindness which, we discover later, it wasn’t…

What makes Max different from his brother?
His ego, his inflated sense of self-importance, his wealth and his craving for power. Some may think that Max is slightly sociopathic but I think his upbringing, his drive and ambition, not to mention the situation he’s in, combine to show him not at his best! I don’t think he’s beyond redemption or without empathy.

What event happens at the start of Guilt?
Whilst driving home from a wedding, the brothers are in the course of a snippy discussion and they knock over and kill an old man called Walter. Max persuades Jake to cover their tracks.

And what direction does their guilt take Max and Jake in?
Without a doubt Jake would have gone to the police and confessed all, but he’s very easily won over by his big brother. In his eyes, Max is more knowledgeable in matters of the law and knows best.

How does Max feel about the guilty incident?
Max is intensely practical and quick thinking - I think he is able to compartmentalise and move into self-preservation mode without a by your leave. His brother's first response is to fess up, he’s very much “we’ve killed a sentient being” but Max is more “let’s not go to prison”. To Max, this is an old man who was dying anyway, so it’s a case of covering their tracks. There’s no point in their lives being ruined.

Why is there such disparity between the brothers?
You find out through the course of the series what went on with the brothers. Max has very much had to stand on his own two feet, while Jake was the apple of their mum’s eye, so there’s resentment there. Max got himself through everything in life, he’s a grimly determined man and doesn’t, for that reason, want to go back to having nothing because of this unfortunate incident.

Can you give us a taste of things to come in the series?
Things start very, very bad and get much, much worse! As it goes on, things become a lot more serious for the brothers and you discover to what extent Max is guilty and how deep he’s in.

What attracted you to work on this project?
Well initially, Neil Forsyth - who I worked with on Eric, Ernie And Me. When I read Neil’s script for Guilt it blew my socks off. I was really struck by how much of a page turner it was - he had me gripped. And, as everything else fell into place, it became apparent that this was going to be something really special. I’m very proud of Guilt.

You and Jamie have known each other for years - what’s your connection?
We went to Leith Academy together in the 80s. We didn’t really mix in the same circles but we definitely had a connection and good laugh whenever we sat together in class. Twenty years later, when I discovered he was an actor, we started to bump into one another and would go to see each other’s shows and kept in touch. So as soon as Guilt came along, there was nobody else in my mind to play my brother. It was kind of a match made in heaven; we have a lovely relationship, he’s a wonderful human being and a great actor.

So is this the first time you’ve worked together?
Yes. It was fantastic. We had a kind of immediate chemistry of course because of our past, and it’s great to see it on screen, it was really special. We would make each other laugh - a lot. That, along with the fantastic cast and crew we had on Guilt, made filming this series a real joy.

Any stand-out moments from filming?
So many, but the day we filmed on the top of Calton Hill in Edinburgh really stands out. We spent a couple of days up there and there was a particular moment when the sun was setting and the light was incredible. All the trees in the city, and beyond to Fife, just started to glow. I’ve never seen anything like that before - it was something else.

Was it nice to film in Scotland?
Oh it’s always nice to film back in Scotland. I miss it dearly and being back means I get to see friends and family.

If you could be any other character who would you choose, and why?
Probably Kenny [played by Emun Elliott], he’s just such fun to play and you could have an absolute riot with that character. I wouldn’t better what Emun has done with Kenny but I’d love to give it a go. He’s a great part and you’ve got to be a good drunk to play Kenny well. Now that I’ve watched Emun I think I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.

And finally, are you guilty of anything?
Only using up oxygen!