.aesthetic talk
KRIS MARSHALL on BEYOND PARADISE
*Inside the Mind of DI Humphrey Goodman
written + interview Alban E. Smajli
Kris Marshall moves through roles like pages in a living archive. Each return to DI Humphrey Goodman is a recalibration, a quiet shift in tone, pace, inflection.
The detective doesn’t arrive fully formed; he extends through time, carried by instinct, built through decisions that remain invisible until they aren’t. Kris Marshall works with precision. He feeds the character small changes—gestures, rhythms, interior logic. In Beyond Paradise, nothing is static. Everything folds back into the work: his references, the sea, the energy of a long shoot, the movement of strangers who never knew they were being studied.
jumper + trousers RALPH LAUREN
socks FALKE
shoes SANDRO
sunglasses THE AVANTGUARD
jacket THE FRANKIE SHOP
He rarely speaks in absolutes. Scripts are approached like open systems. Scenes are lived, not performed. He notes structure, then lets it bend. The repetition of a character over seasons becomes an act of endurance, not rehearsal. Ideas are planted early and left to unfold over time.
Memory plays a role. So does observation. He remembers the weight of theatre nights, the long haul of production days, the silence that follows a line well delivered. Meals with Pacino in Italy exist in the same archive as his first stage rehearsals—held not for anecdote, but for texture.
In conversation, Marshall cuts through sentiment. He speaks clearly about work. The physical toll. The mental timing. The need to rest before the next scene. Acting, for him, is not escape—it is a study in repetition, and the possibility of nuance inside repetition.
This interview traces Marshall’s ongoing practice—returning to characters not to resolve them, but to remain in conversation with them. He shares what drives him on set, what surprises still occur, and what advice he carries forward. No grand epiphanies. Just a steady commitment to showing up, seeing clearly, and staying inside the craft.
suit + shirt RALPH LAUREN
tie SANDRO
“Every character I play is a part of me… Which has to be true otherwise you’re not going to believe it yourself, so how can you expect other people to.”
Kris Marshall speaks with Alban E. Smajli
for LE MILE Digital SS25 - on Beyond Paradise
Alban E. Smajli
What keeps drawing you back to DI Humphrey Goodman? Is there still more of him to uncover, or do you just enjoy the ride?
Kris Marshall
Well, I’m not gonna lie and say that enjoying the ride isn’t a part of it, because both incarnations of him have lived by the sea, and I spend as much of my free time in it and on it as possible. Which is joyous. But there’d be no point if I didn’t feel there was more of his character to discover. As I get, shall we say, less young, it’s important to convey his changes as well, so there’s that, and I’m constantly throwing in new ideas and homages to my favourite detectives and other characters in TV and film that have influenced me.
From Love Actually to Beyond Paradise, your career spans rom-coms, crime dramas, and theatre. Where do you feel most at home?
Not working!.. No I’m kind of kidding. I came up through theatre, it’s all I did for the first 6 years, and even though after that I’d probably only do a play every 4 or 5 years, you can never replicate that kind of peril and immediacy on TV and film. But there’s something about building a character over a long shoot, and the fact no two days are the same, that I’ve always found beguiling.
Humphrey is a detective who sees the world differently. What’s a case you’d love to see him tackle in Beyond Paradise?
A corrupt politician. He’s renowned for being pretty open-minded, fair and kind, but he has a healthy disdain for and a delight in unpicking capricious and arrogant people who view him as strange and hopeless. It’s the Columbo/Marple gene, to lure antagonists to their doom!… Failing that, anything to do with surfing, for reasons mentioned above.
You’ve played both hopeless romantics and sharp-witted detectives. Which role is closer to the real Kris Marshall?
I would say both and neither. If that’s not too obtuse. I think Jack Nicholson said ‘Every character I play is a part of me’… Which has to be true otherwise you’re not going to believe it yourself, so how can you expect other people to. But also, they’re not me, because I study other people’s mannerisms and walks and use them as well.
What do you think makes Beyond Paradise resonate so strongly with viewers?
Well, of course the location is beautiful, bucolic and colourful. But also, people love puzzle solving, so it’s somewhat interactive on that front. But the main reason is it’s not too dark and violent and doesn’t take itself too seriously, so it’s watchable across demographics. I’ve met people who say it means a lot to them as it’s something they can bond watching with their parents and children, which I think is delightful.
You stepped back into Sanditon's Tom Parker and Beyond Paradise's Humphrey Goodman. How does revisiting a character change your perspective on them?
Filming is often arriving at a location you’ve never seen, and then getting the best takes within the allotted time, before you move on to another location you’ve never seen!… Whereas in theatre, you get to go back and slightly alter and hone your performance every night. So getting the chance to revisit a character again on film is, if you’ll forgive the mixed metaphors, another crack at the cherry.
Theatre, film, TV—each demands a different energy. Do you approach acting differently on stage versus on screen?
I guess they all involve conserving energy. Filming is getting up at 5.30am, working until 7pm and then eating and getting enough rest to do that for anything up to 6 months. Theatre is all about building enough energy through the day for an evening performance, and then not getting too carried away with enjoying the nighttime after the show…Because the older I get the earlier I’m up!
Keeping in mind that you’ve worked with some of the most celebrated actors in the industry, what’s a moment that still sticks with you?
Working with Al Pacino on The Merchant of Venice. We were away on location in Italy and nearly every night after work he’d insist on us all having a sit-down meal in different restaurants. One night he even came clubbing with us younger actors, and seeing this absolute legend grooving to a heavy bass in a European nightclub was something I’ll never forget.
Have you ever been truly surprised by a plot twist in one of your own scripts?
Nothing that particularly springs to mind I have to say. Although I’ve had a fair few scripts through where you get to page 5 and it says ‘And then he dies’!… And you’re thinking, I’m actually quite insulted you thought I might want to play this role man…!!
If you could time-travel back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?
That whatever it is you think is the right way to do it, is the right way to do it…
And stop smoking dude…
credits
talent KRIS MARSHALL
photographer DAVID REISS
stylist PRUE FISHER
grooming JOLANDA COETZER
full look RALPH LAUREN
socks FALKE
shoes SANDRO
suit + shirt FURSAC
boots SANDRO
“Getting the chance to revisit a character again on film is, if you’ll forgive the mixed metaphors, another crack at the cherry.”
Kris Marshall speaks with Alban E. Smajli
for LE MILE Digital SS25 - on Beyond Paradise