Matthew Gravelle felt like he "really was on trial" when filming ‘Broadchurch’.
The 38-year-old actor – who plays Joe Miller in the ITV drama – has admitted he felt as though he was in the dock himself whilst shooting the dramatic scenes.
He shared: "It was a strange experience because I was kept away from the other actors for the first scenes. But I then found I was keeping myself away from people quite a bit.
"It worked well because it increased the tension. When we finally filmed the verdict scenes, and the actor playing the court clerk said, ‘Do you find the defendant, Joseph Michael Miller, guilty or not guilty?’ my heart was racing.
"I felt like I really was on trial. We filmed both a guilty and a not guilty verdict, so it was interesting to see the different reactions."
The 38-year-old actor’s character will hear the jury’s verdict in tonight’s (23.02.15) episode, after he was accused of killing Danny Latimer during last year’s series.
And Matthew – who revealed his cast mates passed him notes into the dock to keep him amused during the long filming hours – thinks it was a "relief" not having to keep any more secrets after having to stay quiet for "months and months".
He added to The Sun newspaper: "It was a relief when we finally filmed the verdict scenes. I’ve had to keep it a secret until now, so it’s been months and months.
"I’m good at secrets though. Obviously for the first series I couldn’t tell anyone I was the murderer.
"Then I couldn’t tell anyone I was in the second series until it was on, and I haven’t been able to say whether the jury finds my character guilty or not."
The ‘Broadchurch’ series two finale will air tonight (23.02.15) at 9pm on ITV.
Broadchurch star Matthew Gravelle felt like he was on trial
