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Douglas Henshall: 'There aren't many roles for a 57-year-old man'

Henshall spoke with Radio Times magazine about his new Netflix thriller Who is Erin Carter?.

DI Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) in Shetland, wearing a black coat, standing in a field

BBC/Silverprint Pictures/Mark Mainz

Published: Monday, 14 August 2023 at 9:00 pm

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Douglas Henshall is about to be seen in his first role since leaving behind his Shetland character Jimmy Perez, with the actor starring as the villainous Daniel Lang in Netflix's Who is Erin Carter?.

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Henshall previously said that he would "love to play a baddie again", and speaking in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine, it seems he still feels the same way having taken on this new role.

He said: "Baddies are just fun to play. It’s always fun to pretend to be firing a gun. It’s quite childhood-inducing."

However, Henshall also revealed that he didn't specifically seek out a villainous role, adding: "It’s very difficult to make conscious decisions about what you’re going to do when you’re a 57-year-old white man. There aren’t so many roles around for me any more."

Douglas Henshall in Who is Erin Carter?, wearing a tuxedo

Douglas Henshall in Who is Erin Carter?. Netflix/YouTube

Henshall continued: "I think that’s just a fact of getting older. People are looking for younger actors these days. There’s a degree of, 'I’ve been offered that, I’m grateful for the job, I’ll go and do it.'"

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Following Who is Erin Carter?, Henshall will also be seen in mystery horror film One of Us, which will star Heartstopper's Kit Connor, Love Actually's Sienna Guillory, Derry Girls' Beccy Henderson and House of the Dragon's David Horovitch.

Henshall left his role in Shetland at the end of season 7, with the upcoming eighth season set to star Ashley Jensen as the new DI, Ruth Calder.

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Jensen has said that her character will bring "a whole new dynamic" to the BBC crime drama, adding: "It's kind of almost more about the other people – about how Alison (Alison O’Donnell) and all the other characters are going to relate to Ruth Calder, so that'll be really interesting."

Meanwhile, the new season will also feature guest stars including Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey), Jamie Sives (Annika) and Lorraine McIntosh (Outlander).

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Who Is Erin Carter? will be available to stream on Netflix from Thursday 24th August 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of James Hibbs, smiling against a lime green background.

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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