Her starring roles in Trainspotting and Line of Duty made her a household name in the UK.
But Kelly Macdonald has revealed she managed to stay mostly ‘under the radar’ on the global stage until she landed a part in the American crime drama Boardwalk Empire.
The Glasgow-born mother-of-two was nominated for an Emmy for her performance as Margaret Thompson, the wife of a corrupt politician during the Prohibition era.
She said: ‘I’m pretty under the radar, mostly. There’s certain jobs that will change that.
‘Boardwalk Empire in America was one of them – if I was in New York I’d get “Margaret!” shouted at me.’
Scots actress Kelly Macdonald said she was able to keep a low profile outside the UK until being cast in hit TV series Boardwalk Empire
Kelly Macdonald in Boardwalk Empire as Margaret Schroeder
Ms Macdonald made her film debut in 1996 in Trainspotting
Ms Macdonald, 48, found fame in 1996 when she made her movie debut playing schoolgirl Diane Coulston in Trainspotting.
She has since starred in a string of films and television shows and is now set to take a lead role alongside Homeland actor Damian Lewis in the new Sky Cinema production The Radleys.
But she told Radio Times that filming the BBC police drama Line of Duty was among the biggest challenges of her career as it came so soon after the Covid pandemic.
She said: ‘It slightly gives me PTSD just talking about it, because it was Covid. I was just beginning to find my feet when we were shut down.
‘We were the first production to go back, but we were totally isolated in a strange city. I’d be curious to experience filming it in a normal world.’
