Actress Sheridan Smith thought about her late brother while filming new ITV drama I Fought The Law, which is based on campaigner Ann Ming, whose daughter Julie was murdered
Sheridan Smith was left emotionally drained while making her new drama I Fought The Law.
The BAFTA-winning actress plays campaigner Ann Ming, whose daughter Julie was murdered in 1989. It reminded Sheridan of her brother’s tragic death from cancer when she was just eight years old.
She said: “This is the first real life story I’ve taken on since becoming a mum and there are different things I tap into now being a mother myself, especially with what Ann went through.
“I’ve played parents that lose their kids before, and having lost my older brother, I would always think about what my mum must have gone through. While playing Ann, those feelings were much more raw to tap into.”
The series charts how Ann got an 800-year-old double jeopardy law changed in a bid to get justice for her daughter. Tackling such a serious topic had a severe effect on Sheridan.
She added: “Whenever I play a real person, I really want to feel how they felt. I didn’t go to drama school and I haven’t been trained as an actor, so I don’t really know how to turn those feelings on and off.
“I just really try to go there emotionally. Ann was obviously in a state of angst from the minute Julie went missing, because she had that mother’s instinct, she just knew.
“And she fought and fought for justice. So she was in a state of anxiety for years, and I really tried to go there.”
Filming I Fought The Law has been the toughest job Sheridan has ever tackled. But she isn’t complaining because what she endured is nothing compared to what Ann went through.
She said: “I love playing real people because this job is all about people’s hearts and getting their stories out there, so if it causes me a few months of distress, that’s nothing.
“It’s just important for me to do Ann justice. Playing her has hit me more than any other role.
“There were some really intense days on this job, but the emotion was a fraction of what it must have felt like for Ann, so you just get on with it.”
The series will air this autumn on ITV1.
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