Kristin Scott Thomas

Kristin Scott Thomas

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."