Ahead of the series launching, Nagra said: ‘This is not your typical medical drama.
Kevin McKidd has spoken out about reconciling with old pals while filming his current movie in Scotland, including film crew from the original Trainspotting.
Given that the actor is most recognised for his role as Dr. Owen Hunt on Grey’s Anatomy, some fans may be unfamiliar with seeing him in a part where he may employ his native Scottish accent.
When the 49-year-old was cast as police investigator Chris O’Neill in ITVX’s gripping crime thriller Six Four, he not only got to travel ‘back home,’ but he also ran across familiar characters from his past.
During an interview with Metro.co.uk, Kevin described how, on the night he landed back into Glasgow, he ran into an old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in 15 years.
‘I strolled down the street; it was a lovely summer night, and it wasn’t raining, which is rare for Glasgow. I was walking down the street when I heard this voice, and there was a friend I hadn’t seen in maybe 15 years standing on a street corner, simply talking to his neighbour. Then we went out for a pint and it felt like no time had gone,’ he explained.
It was’really fantastic to get to portray a Scottish character again, to use my own voice, and to work with Scottish crews,’ added the lead actor.
‘The Scottish crews are some of those talented, loveliest passionate people I know, and Scottish writers are some of the best in the world. Many of these actors I’ve worked with before over the years, some I hadn’t. The whole thing just felt like a huge joy for me, a real blessing to get to do that. It felt like a homecoming,’ he stated.
Ahead of the series launching, Nagra said: ‘This is not your typical medical drama.
Kevin spent much of his early career filming in Glasgow, including the renowned 1996 Danny Boyle picture Trainspotting, in which he portrayed Tommy Mackenzie, and Gillies MacKinnon’s gang thriller Small Faces, which was released the same year.
This meant that when he returned to the city, he would ‘have a story to tell’ around ‘every corner’ from his cherished recollections.
Some of the staff he worked with on Six Four had previously worked with him on Trainspotting, having climbed through the ranks in their own professions.
‘They’re now senior. They were the junior crew members back then, but now they’re like the boss. So it’s really interesting. It was really lovely on so many levels to sort of reconnect with my past that way,’ Kevin said.
Ahead of the series launching, Nagra said: ‘This is not your typical medical drama.
Six Four, based on Hideo Yokoyama’s best-selling novel of the same name, is described as a ‘dark and compelling story of kidnap, corruption, betrayal, and an unwavering search for the truth,’ as Chris’ teenage daughter, who he shares with his wife Michelle O’Neill (Vinette Robinson), goes missing.
When asked what distinguishes Six Four from other crime dramas, the actor replied he ‘liked’ how it “plugs in this broader political life of Scotland.”
‘It really talks about the state of the nation in this quite satirical, smart way. But also it plugs into Michelle and Chris – it’s about their family dynamic and what’s going on in their family, and the untruths and the deceptions that have gone on in their family,’ he outlined.
‘A lot of this is a family drama, with all of these other layers on top of it, and I think that’s quite unusual for a crime thriller to have all of that. It really is the heart at the centre of it.’
Kevin prepared for the part by shadowing a Glasgow-based investigator and learning everything he could about his profession in the real world.
‘It’s quite an interesting profession. You’re kind of a lone wolf out there. You have to be very adept at dealing with people – it’s a very-people orientated job – and you have to be quite low key in a sense to be a good detective,’ he remarked.
‘I found the whole world and the fact that you’re not this bombastic, big personality… that the best detectives are kind of under the radar. I thought that was an interesting world to look into.’
All four episodes of Six Four are available to watch from Thursday March 30 on ITVX.