Kristin Scott Thomas is the "ultimate evil mother" in 'Only God Forgives'.
The actress plays Ryan Gosling's mum in the new thriller from Nicolas Winding Refn and says her character - who tasks Gosling's anti-hero with seeking vengeance on the mobsters that killed his brother - is a far cry from the refined roles she's used to playing.
She said: "She is the ultimate evil mother. Almost like a nightmare, fantasy creation, who tries to consume her children, then spits them out again. I don't really relate to her in any way at all."
The British star totally immersed herself in the role, even undergoing a physical transformation by wearing unflattering skin-tight dresses and sporting peroxide blonde hair.
Scott Thomas felt her character's look helped her disassociate the mean-spirited alter-ego from herself.
She explained to the Metro newspaper: "I based her on Donatella Versace. The costume became a sort of battle dress for me. I was able to play these outrageous themes and do and say things that I felt quite grubby about.
"There are scenes in the film that I couldn't watch, that I couldn't even read on the page. But the really disturbing thing is just the real undercurrent of pure evil."