Actress playing Maxine Carr in Soham murders drama shares 'difficult, dark' experience
06.10.2022 - 07:01
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
The actress playing Maxine Carr in a drama about the Soham murders says Beyonce’s music helped her shrug off the criminal’s persona after tough days of filming.
Newcomer Jemma Carlton plays Carr in Channel 5’s Maxine, opposite Scott Reid as killer Ian Huntley. She said: “When we finished filming, I was so tired from carrying the weight of Maxine as a character. When me and Scott are in these characters, it’s a really difficult and dark thing.
"So by the end of the day, when we were out of them, we would always listen to some music. I have a playlist when I am in role and one when I am out. It helps with the ‘de-robing’ of her. I am such a big Beyonce fan. It is such a different mood and it helps massively.”
Jemma said Channel 5 reassured her the sensitive subject would be handled with care before she accepted the part.
She added of big-name actors playing serial killers Dennis Nilsen and Myra Hindley: “I’ve been drawn to performances like David Tennant in Des and Maxine Peake [in See No Evil].
“I felt Maxine was a mountain to climb as a part but wanted to see how I can push myself in a complex real-life role.”
The three-part miniseries – Channel 5’s first true crime drama – examines the investigation into Carr and school caretaker Huntley, who was later jailed for the 2002 murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both 10.
It explores their relationship from Maxine’s perspective, looking at why she gave her fiancé a false alibi.
Her lies led to her becoming the most hated woman in Britain. She served just under two years in jail and now lives under a new identity.
Huntley is still in prison.
Jemma said: “I watched every documentary about Maxine that I could get my hands on and read as much as I could.
“Understanding how she