Taking a look at BBC1's new drama, it would seem that James Nesbitt knows how to act grief so well. The show's viewers can easily see grief etched hard into his face, sunk relatively deep through his eyes.
He has certainly proven that he can act much better than other celebrities today.
James Nesbitt plays the role of Tony, a man who lost his son eight years ago. As time went by since the loss, the pain of losing a child ate at him and robbed him of his capacity to live a normal life. He is hopeful that his five-year-old son is still alive somehow, somewhere.
His son, Olly, had vanished while they were on a family holiday in France. With hope as his No. 1 supporter, Tony is dragged back to the Channel in order to chase up a lead. He ends up scaring some "ghosts" as he no longer cares whom he upsets, as long as he finds his long-lost son.
He is very angry and desperation clings to him, being a man who has been adrift all these years, trapped in a lonely existence. He has somehow developed a drinking habit, has unkempt hair, and dresses in charity-shop outfits.
Back in 2006, Tony was a busy professional who has a loving wife, played by Frances O'Connor. In 2014, he is a divorce, who is ragged both emotionally and physically. Their marriage was sunk by Olly's sudden disappearance and the rumors that surround their missing son and their family in general.
Nesbitt shared his views about the plot of "The Missing," and he said, "A lot of people have mentioned the Madeleine McCann case."
The show's first two episodes have some striking parallels with the McCann case. British couple suffering such an inexplicable loss of a child during a family holiday in Europe, a media firestorm endlessly engulfs the family, and some have started to speculate that the parents were behind everything.
The storyline of "The Missing" even involves the publication of a book that purports to contain the "truth" about the child's disappearance, which is also one of the more unsavory developments that the McCann have had to deal with.
