Freddie Fox took Valium to get into the mind of Jeremy Bamber.
Freddie Fox
The 'White House Farm' actor plays the real-life convicted murder in ITV's new true crime drama - which started on Wednesday night (08.01.20) and he admitted to using the prescription drug to enhance his performance for one scene.
He's quoted by The Sun newspaper's Bizarre TV column as saying: "It was the scene the director had the most trouble cutting. I'll never take Valium on set again."
The six-part ITV series revolves around one night in August 1985 when Bamber killed five members of his family at their Essex farmhouse.
However, Freddie insisted his performance leaves things open to interpretation, with the audience left to decide whether or not Bamber is guilty.
He told RadioTimes.com: "There is always an element of mystery and enigmatic nature to what Jeremy would have been thinking, what he was thinking, certainly if you believe he is innocent."
Essex Police originally believed that Jeremy's sister Sheila - whose parents Nevill and June Bamber were also killed - was to blame, but DS Stan Jones doubted the murder-suicide theory.
Eventually, Jeremy - who is currently surviving life imprisonment with no possibility of parole - was charged and convinced of the five murders, but still maintains his innocence.
The 30-year-old actor added: "It was probably not the right decision for me [to contact Bamber] because the Jeremy Bamber I'm playing is a combination of the Jeremy Bamber that I've created as an actor, in my imagination, and factual, assiduous factual
"And he's a different man now, it's 35 years on, and he maintains his innocence."