Robert Carlyle on The Legend of Barney Thomson

Trainspotting and 28 Weeks Later star Robert Carlyle discusses his directorial debut, the Glasgow-set black comedy The Legend of Barney Thomson.

Carlyle stars as fifty-something barber Barney, whose mundane life is turned on its head when he accidentally kills a work colleague. Barney then finds himself pursued by a policeman, played by Ray Winstone, on the hunt for an elusive serial killer.

Describing the character, Carlyle says: “It’s a great character to play in the sense that everything happens to him, he doesn’t really do that much. Even though he’s responsible for killing these people, he doesn’t do anything deliberately… he bounces around like a pinball machine.”

Carlyle also discusses the origins of his career as an actor, Ray Winstone’s little-seen comic talents, and the role of Emma Thompson – who plays Carlyle’s mother – in the film.

The Legend of Barney Thomson was the opening film at the 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival – read our review from EIFF here. The Legend of Barney Thomson is on general release from 24 July.