Eddie Izzard's own stand-up comedy inspired her performance in 'Doctor Jekyll'.
Eddie Izzard is ready to spook in Doctor Jekyll
The 61-year-old trans comic will play the dual roles of the calm and sweet Nina Jekyll, and the maniacal Rachel Hyde in the retelling of the classic story and wanted to harness the energy of her live show for her latter character.
During an interview with SFX magazine where she was asked how she approached the final scene where Hyde brutally beats a man to death with a stick, the comedian and actor said: "I had to go somewhere at the end and I honestly wasn't sure what was going to come out.
"When I do stand-up, and when that's flying, I don't quite know what's coming out of me. And I knew if I could get to that place in the drama, that would be interesting, where the person you're acting against is thinking, 'Where's this coming from?'"
Eddie also admitted that playing the demented Hyde took a toll on the actor.
She said: "I enjoyed it, but yeah, it was tough. Really tough. A lot of retakes.
"I was just trying to be open and channel the character. It was intense, but it's great. And it's a Hammer film now and that's just a beautiful place to be."
Despite starring in the horror, Eddie admitted she isn't really a "horror partaker" as a viewer, but had a lot of fun working on the film.
When quizzed if she was a horror fan, she replied: "I like the early Hammers. I found them scary, but only to a certain extent.
"Later horror films – everything post the '70s and '80s really – I go, 'Woah, jeez!' They're a bit too much for me.
"I'm not really a horror partaker. But it's great to do them because, as an actor, you can really let rip!"
'Doctor Jekyll' will release on October 27.
The film is produced by Hammer Films, the studio behind horror classics 'Dracula' (1958) 'Quatermass And The Pit' (1967) and 'Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter' (1974). It will be the first movie released by the studio since 2012's 'The Woman In Black', which starred Daniel Radcliffe.
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