Beyond Paradise's Kris Marshall: 'My big idea to save the world? Intercontinental water transfer!'

Actor Kris Marshall has been a star of stage and screen for 25 years. If roles in hit sitcom My Family and Richard Curtis‘s box office smash Love Actually established him in the public consciousness, it was his lead role as DI Humphrey Goodman in Death in Paradise – and now Beyond Paradise – that won a special place in audience’s hearts.

The third series of Beyond Paradise continues to be one of the most popular series on British television. Before the latest series ends, we brought Kris Marshall in for questioning to answer some Big Questions…

What film made the biggest impact on you as a kid? 

I’ve got two answers. Because childhood and youth is quite a broad church. So, the first film that inspired me was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I was at a boarding school and the nature of those schools in the 80s were quite disciplinarian. I’m not trying to draw parallels, but the performance, the storyline and pushing against authority and institutions that results in them pushing back harder resonated with me a lot.

And what was the second film?

The second one might be a bit obvious, as I’m an actor, but Withnail and I.  I watched it when I was about 18 and I’d been kicked out of school, when I was on my journey (fucking hate that word) to becoming an actor. Every line in this film is amazing.

It also spoke to the reality of being an out of work actor in the late 80s and early 90s. It wasn’t like being a musician or artist, who can still create when they’re out of work. For actors, you’re hanging around waiting for an opportunity. And that’s incredibly difficult. How do you fill your time? Often, you choose unhealthy ways. It’s heightened in Withnail and I, but it captured life as a broke, unemployed actor living in in a shithole in London with the soles flapping off your shoes and all that jazz. Because of the world you inhabit, you meet all these colourful characters.

Also, Paul McGann’s character is reading a play during the film for a role that eventually takes him on his journey as an actor and out of that situation. That role is in a play called Journey’s End, which is the very role that, three or four years after I watched the film, took me on my journey. I got cast in the play in a pub in London. It then transferred to the King’s Head in Islington and became a big success, which took me to the National Theatre and then onwards.

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What TV show was the biggest one for you as a kid?

When I was a kid I would come in from school and Harold Lloyd was on BBC Two. I would watch that religiously every night. To me, Harold Lloyd gets forgotten among all the silent movie stars like Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin. I’m all about stunts as well as physical comedy and I’ve happily thrown myself off cliffs for the purposes of art. It’s exciting and goes back to the high drama of Harold Lloyd hanging off a clock in New York.

Which song / album / artist was the biggest for you growing up? And now? 

Nik Kershaw was huge when I started getting into music. So the first thing I bought was “The Riddle” on 7-inch. But when I got to about 21, The Bends came out. And that was huge. Obviously it was full of angst, but I also find Radiohead quite hopeful. To follow that with OK Computer was incredible.

Who or what have been the biggest influences on your career?

I got into a lot of trouble at boarding school. I didn’t deal with the institution very well. But I had two amazing drama teachers, one of whom was guest of honour at my wedding. So, despite the challenges, the school had an amazing drama department. I never went to a well-known drama school, but what I learned from those two gentlemen, Paul McDermott and Michael Theodorus, held me in good stead.

What do you see as the defining event of your youth?

Being kicked out of school seven weeks before my A-Levels. I’d sailed through GCSEs but did no work for my A-levels. So, when I was kicked out I had two options. I could put my tail between my legs, go back and redo the last year of A-levels then try to go to university. Or I could go off and try to be an actor. I had a head full of youthful exuberance, so I went for that.

What was the big political issue you remember from your youth/childhood? How did it impact you?

My grandfather, uncle and father were all in the RAF. So, as a forces child (and nephew and grandchild), the Falklands War was a big moment. My uncle was a fighter pilot, my dad flew bigger aircraft like troop carriers and, later on, flew the Queen. They were in the Falklands together. It was a very short conflict, very bloody, and the first time I became aware of news reporting. People were literally standing on ships in the middle of a warzone telling us what was happening. It brought home to me that two significant members of my very close family were right in the middle of it.

Who were the big influences on your character in Death in Paradise / Beyond Paradise?

I grew up with a plethora of detectives on TV. We all did, because they’re quite omnipresent. It’s a very well-trodden genre. So I was influenced by everything from Miss Marple to Jim Rockford – who I thought was the coolest man alive,  Barnaby Jones and Columbo. None of them were big boozers or had a dark secret. And we’re dealing with ostensibly a comedy drama, so I try and imbue my character with a little bit from all those classic detectives I grew up with. There are little easter eggs in there – they’re just for me, really, but if other people see them, that’s great. Like Humphrey drinks a lot of milk – which is a nod to Barnaby Jones. And there’s a lot of Columbo-isms in Humphrey.

What is your current big issue?

I worry that the world is becoming so binary and divided. And I think that is fuelled by the algorithms of social media. So I wonder where we’re going to go from that. Social media is not my jam. We’re losing nuance, and there are powers in this world that thrive off division. I don’t see a good endgame to that.

What do you see as being your biggest success and failure…?

I’ve had several missteps but I would never class them as failures, because they’re educational. In terms of successes, to still be a working actor after 35 years is a pretty big achievement.

What is your big idea to save the world?

Intercontinental water transfer! Because of climate change, areas of the world are becoming more desertified and other areas becoming more flooded. If we can pump gas halfway around the world, between continents, I’m pretty sure we could pump water. An inordinate percentage of the world’s population still don’t have access to clean water, which is one thing guaranteed to shorten your life. So if we can build Nord Streams all over the place, we could pump water and build desalination plants. If you’ve got parts of the world with too much sunshine, causing desertification, tap those resources for solar power and send the energy back the other way. I’m not an expert, but it’s got to be worth looking at.

What is your biggest dream? 

Just to be around to see my kids into adulthood. None of us know what’s around the corner and I wasn’t the youngest when I became a parent. My youngest won’t be out of school until I’m 61, so I try and live a decent life.

Is there an organisation creating positive change you would like to give a shout out?

There is an organisation called The Ocean Clean Up, who look at novel ways to reduce plastic pollution. I’m a huge ocean person. I’ve surfed for 25 years, I sail and I swim – so I’m on it, I’m in it and I also live by the ocean. So it’s very close to my heart. We know so little about the ocean and we’re ruining it. So look up The Ocean Clean Up.

Kris Marshall stars in Beyond Paradise on BBC One on Friday nights. All series are available in iPlayer.

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