extraordinarily spare style requires (it the audience. ‘('ormae
Md 'tiltlty L‘llll ttlloi‘tl to be sparse with dialogue.‘ Maedonald say s. ‘beeause lte's so elev er. Not :1 lot of people ean ptit aeross w hat he does in just a couple (ill sentences. St) ('arla Jean's character was very apparent. I had an understanding ol her. and it turned out that wasn't so lar away l'roin .loel and lithan‘s understanding ol' her. I didn‘t think she wasjtist the little woman who would do anything lor her man.‘ says Maedonald. ‘I don‘t have a huge amount ol sereen time compared to the boys. but the seenes I‘ve got are with all three leads. and they don't even all share sereen time together. They're really good seenes.‘ Mitetlonaltl eoneludes. 'lt‘s the best putt I've ever had.
"l'he (‘oen brothers are really niee guys. and they’re very funny. in a quiet way. They know exaetly what they're alter. They spend so long
working on a seript. and they gather
the right people around them. So by the time you arrive on the set its all good to go. They do all the hard work so you don‘t have to.‘ Maedonald had a similarly rewarding esiwrienee working with her leading men. Tommy Lee .lones in partieular. 'l'he famously eurmudgeonly Jones apparently lelt likewise, proving instrumental in getting his diminutive Seottish eo- star east alongside him in veteran l‘reneh lilmmaker Bertrand 'l‘avernier‘s l’ortheoming adaptation ol‘James l.ee Burke's Deep South- set erime novel. In the Iz'ler'tr'i't' .llist with (‘otifi'rlerute Dead. "l‘ominy had a lot to do with the casting process] Maedonald says. ‘so it was niee to be asked baek alter haying worked with him once. He’s
Dolly Parton
not a ligure of fear. but he‘s got quite a reputation. I l‘ound him to be a very generous aetor.~
She learned a lot about her trade working with Jones and the (‘oens. Maedonald says. In l‘aet. she's been
getting an education on the job ever
since making her debut in 'I'mi'risputting jtist over ten years ago. 'l was so lucky to get 'I'rrti'rtvpr)ttitig.‘ she recalls of giving tip bar-inaiding to play naughty sehoolgirl Diane. ‘I hope I‘m improving as years go by. because every job you get you're working and learning from new people. It‘s
been quite a gradual learning curve.
But I‘m in my 30s now. and it‘s
Clockwise from far left: No Country for Old Men, Stella Does Tricks, Gosford Park, in Cannes with the Coen Brothers, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem, Trainspotting and The Girl in the Cafe
nice to be somew here where l leel I should be.‘ liollow'ing the auspieious debut that won her a BAl’l'A Scotland nomination. .‘ylaedonald went straight into a leading role as a young London prostitute in the gritty drama Ste/Iii Does 'I'ri'r'ks'. ller eareer has sinee eomprised substantial supporting roles in various signilieant lilms: [flint/wilt. (iris/rm! l’urk. Hurling .N'r'i'er/rmrl l in whieh she was perl‘eetly‘ east as Peter Pan) and the aeelaimed BB(' politieal thriller State ri/‘l’lriv.
Maedonald enjoyed a particularly l'ruitl'ul year in 2005. appearing in no less than live lilins ineluding the Richard (‘urtis-penned polities- tinged romanee 'I’lir' (hr! iii the (are: for whieh she was nominated for a (iolden (ilobe award and won an lirniny. Since then. however. we haven't seen her on either the big or small sereens.
~There's always a break.’ Maedonald say s stoieally. 'l've gone tip to a year thinking. “('rap? When's the next tilm going to come along?" 'l‘hat's jtist the way ol things. It‘s a really trieky industry. and there's lots ot‘eompetition. Brit I‘ve got good representation. and I‘ve been quite lueky. Beyond that there‘s not inueh l ean do about it.
It becomes a way ol lite almost. because you ean't be working all ot‘ the time. and then there's no balanee w hen you are working its all or nothing. It ean be quite unhappy making.‘
"l'hat‘s why it‘s important to have a settled home lite. and l have a very happy home lite.‘ .\laedonald say s ol her lllt‘ in l.ondon shared w ltll husband Dougie l’ay ne ithe ltttss player oli lit‘ay ls. whom sllL‘ married in look i. '\\'hen w e're together it‘s a very happy home lite. btit he's been away this w hole month. w hieh has been quite hard. and I've been travelling tor work this year too. You just have to get on with it.‘
201W has been a busier year tor Maedonald. w hieli means we‘ll be seeing a lot more oi her on screen in 3003. She made three .-\ineriean lilnis btiekito—baek .Vu ( ‘omttrv l'iir ()lr/ .Ht'll. In I/lt' I'f/r'i'trir' .llivt and ('lio/u'. an adaptation ol' etilt author ( 'huek l’alahniuk's blaekly eoniie novel and .‘ylaedonald thinks her mastering an American aeeent tor the ( 'oens may well lead to her making more lilins in Ameriea. ‘You kind ot have to have that under your belt belore you’re really eonsidered properly l'or .»\meriean movies.‘ she say s.
Nevertheless. she's happy to take a break in ltltlh’. ‘Workw ise I‘ve not got any plans. I‘ve never got any plans. Also. I‘ve got this to deal w ith.‘ Maedonald says. patting her belly. ‘ltis six months. It‘s cooking nieely. Anyway. I don't really take time oil; l‘m given time oil. It something comes tip I respond to I‘ll probably do it. btit meanwhile I'm quite happy to be the little woman l'or my husband.’
No Country For Old Men is out on Fri 18 Jan. Release dates for In the Electric Mist and Choke to be confirmed.
The first lady of country proves why she deserves to be such an icon. One of the most enduring and heartfelt voices in popular music. SECC. Glasgow. 27 & 29 Jun
Icy cool pOp and a trip down nostalgia lane all rolled into one. Everyone loves Kylie. even ll latest album X received a fairly lukewarm response. SECC. Glasgow.
3. 8 8 9 Jul.
The rocket man returns. The performer and his piano well be graCing Scotland this July as part of his world tour. MCDrarrn/d Park, Perth, 6 Ju/.
The daddy of all Scottish ll‘.’€ inus‘ir, festivals does it bigger and better than anyone. Our prediction is Oasis. Coldplay and Kings of Leon Wlll top the bills this year. Salado. Kinross-snire. 7 l— 73 Jul
Pixar turn their gorgeous animation to the world of sol-ti. Early buzz. suggests this may well be the most adult feature yet from the animation studio. General release. 78 Jul.
Returning for a third gloriOiis year and featuring the cream of underground music from Scotland and beyond. This year's event promises to be bigger and better than ever. Victoria Park, Glasgow, Jul.
.‘.— ' 7 Jar 200?: THE LIST 17