Death in Paradise spoilers follow.
Death in Paradise actor Sean Maguire has opened up about his character in the murder mystery show, explaining why he doesn't think the shooter is necessarily "evil."
Maguire appeared in the show's first-ever episode, all the way back in 2011. He has now reprised the role for the opening episode of season 13. His character, Marlon Collins, was previously locked up for stealing yachts.
In the latest episode, however, it was eventually revealed that Marlon shot Selwyn Patterson. In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Maguire opened up on the character and whether or not he is evil.
Related: Death in Paradise 100th episode teaser reveals moment Selwyn is shot
"What I felt about him is, he wasn’t just an out-and-out murderer or drug dealer or child kidnapper or something. He was a guy who’s trying… There are so many people in the world who are trying to do things the right way, but then something goes slightly wrong, and you branch off."
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"The way I wanted to play it was a guy who’s trying to do the right thing. He wasn’t some psychopathic guy who’s just going around killing people for the joy of it. He just found himself in a position and then, as so often is the way in life, the wrong decisions are made, and then that leads to another decision that’s made."
He continued: "Genuinely, the way I wanted to play it – even though he clearly does bad things, he’s not evil."
Related: Death in Paradise actor explains why the show's success is not its stars
Maguire explained that one of the first things he teaches students at his acting school, The Players Conservatory, is to never judge a character. That is the audiences' job, he says.
"There are people in the world who are just pure evil, obviously. But if you go to a prison and you speak to a lot of people who are behind bars, it’s a series of events that led them to that," he explained.
"Some are just out-and-out bad eggs, but a lot of people are there because of the number of circumstances where it went left instead of right, and they found themselves making decisions that are hugely regrettable."
Death in Paradise and its spin-off, Beyond Paradise, air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Jacob is a freelance writer who specialises in narrative TV and film.
He graduated from the University of Roehampton with an MA in Journalism and has written for several publications since, including Gold Derby, Insider, and Screen Daily.
Jacob has covered major events in the world of film and TV, including numerous BAFTA ceremonies and the Cannes Film Festival, while he's also been an awards expert for several publications, including Korea's Arirang. His particular areas of interest include Star Wars, the MCU, the Oscars, and Hugh Grant.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
