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Shooting Stars

Kevin McKidd

he train spotter

Age: 26

Big Break: As the druggie Tommy in Trainspotting.

CV so far: Impressive. The Leading Man, Trainspotting, Small Faces, Hideous Kinky, The Acid House, Bedreooms and Hallways and, most recently, Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy.

Dream role: 'Anything with Woody Allen - I love him. Or anything comedy with Jim Broadbent. I like less commercial films, but I wouldn't say no to a Hollywood blockbuster. I love TIm Robbins - he's not as chisel-featured guy and neither am I. Also Mike Leigh, because he taught me a lot about being myself. He expects total honesty and hates all that fluff and nonsense.'

Nightmare moment: 'For this one scene in The Acid House I had to strip down to my underpants and swig back a can of beer. I'd got a bit behind with my washing and that morning had pulled on my last, most horrid pair of pants. It was fine because my character was a slob but I remember just thinking, Why, on why? Afterwards, everyone was going, "Great prop, those undies!" and I was like "Yeah, weren't they?"'

What's next? The Channel 4 adaptation of Tolstoy's classic love story Anna Karenina (on your screens now). Kevin plays dashing army officer Count Vronsky alongside Helen McCrory, as Anna, Mark Strong, Stephen Dillane and Douglas Henshall. 'I want to start writing adn directing, too. I like th idea of being involved at a much earlier stage.'

ELLE UK June 2000 (part of a longer article on British actors)

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