Actor Dominic West has revealed how he was attracted to playing killer Fred West - and had to stop himself sympathising with the character. The Wire star plays the notorious murderer in ITV1's two-part drama Appropriate Adult, alongside Monica Dolan as his on-screen wife Rose and Emily Watson as inexperienced social worker Janet Leach. And he told the Sunday Times magazine how he identified with aspects of West's character - "his attitudes to sex, sexual fantasies, dark stuff," he explained. However Dominic added, "This is very, very, dangerous territory, but necessarily one has something in common. You have to find common ground and that common ground is the basic part of you." "I had to pull back from sympathising to much when my conscience said stop." The 41-year-old admitted that he had to think twice about accepting the role in the drama. However he added that he had long noticed a similarity in appearance with the killer, which was enhanced by a curly wig and sideburns. Dominic added that while West was a "monster", he found it easy getting in to character because those people who had come into contact with him had found him to be "likeable and pitiable". Appropriate Action, which tells the story from Janet Leach's point of view, will be screened on ITV1 in October.
