Matthew Goode Talks ‘Dept. Q’ and ‘Downton Abbey 3’

Matthew Goode is prepared — and slightly nervous — to unleash Dept. Q on the world.

“I’m on eggshells at the moment,” the English actor tells The Hollywood Reporter about his new Scotland-set police thriller premiering on Netflix Thursday, Could 29. “I don’t know how people will react to it.”

Fortunately, Goode, star of Downton Abbey, The Crown and The Imitation Sport, to call a couple of, has Scott Frank on the helm. Screenwriter-turned-director Frank, finest identified to viewers because the creator of Anya Taylor-Pleasure’s wildly standard 2020 miniseries The Queen’s Gambit, is popping his consideration to the difference of Jussi Adler-Olson’s Nordic crime noir novels.

“The Queen’s Gambit is special, and that’s him, that’s his mind, that’s his ability, that’s his direction, his authority,” Goode gushes about Dept. Q mastermind Frank. “And he’s only getting more authoritative and more brilliant. He’s like the second coming of Sidney Lumet. He’s not letting you down. He’s cinematic, he’s intelligent, and he never, ever treats an audience anything other than being as intelligent as he is.”

Frank’s script relocates Adler-Olson’s central character from Copenhagen to the grizzly, gothic streets of Edinburgh. Goode performs DCI Carl Morck, a superb cop, however a horrible colleague. His razor-sharp sarcasm has made him no buddies within the Edinburgh Police. After a capturing that leaves a younger PC useless and his companion paralyzed, Goode’s character finds himself exiled to the basement as the only real member of Dept. Q., a newly fashioned chilly case unit.

However the division is a PR stunt, there to distract the general public from the failures of an under-resourced, failing police power that’s glad to see the again of Morck. Extra by chance than design, Carl begins to construct a gang of waifs and strays who’ve all the things to show. “So, when the stone-cold trail of a prominent civil servant who disappeared several years ago starts to heat up,” a plot synopsis teases, “Carl is back doing what he does best — rattling cages and refusing to take no for an answer.”

The ensemble forged additionally consists of Kelly Macdonald, Chloe Pirrie, Alexej Manvelov, Leah Byrne, Mark Bonnar, Jamie Sives, Shirley Henderson and Kate Dickie.

Under, Goode talks with THR about turning into a brand new main man of Netflix, shying away from the load of fame and why he gained’t be returning as beloved Downton Abbey character Henry Talbot within the franchise’s upcoming last movie.

Matthew, how did Dept. Q and DCI Carl Morck enter your life?

Nicely, I’m very fortunate to share [agent] Joel Lubin with Scott [Frank]. Satirically, [Lubin]’s my American agent, so he truly flew to Winnipeg once I first labored with Scott in 2005 [on crime movie The Lookout]. Sooner or later, he began repping Scott as properly. So to chop an extended story quick, he phoned me up and mentioned, “Scott’s got this new series coming out. He’s sort of thinking about you for the lead in it.” I used to be like, “Really?” After The Queen’s Gambit, nobody was extra stunned than me.

So he despatched me the scripts and I used to be identical to, “Oh, I’m in. I’m in.” I learn the primary two and I used to be like, “If he wants me, he can have me.” I simply love his scripts, I like his phrases. It’s the identical response I’ve once I noticed The Lookout script. I don’t know. He has a present, he actually could be very gifted. So, yeah, that’s the way it got here to me. After which clearly he needed to go and bat for me, persuade Netflix and Left Financial institution [Pictures]. And fortuitously, I’d labored with Left Financial institution on The Crown a bit, so that they didn’t hate me. However I feel it’s a little bit of a departure as a result of it’s a unique sort of function. Scott thought I might do it, however clearly, individuals wish to pigeon gap you, so it’s the second time he’s given me a task the place I don’t assume different administrators would essentially agree.

How do you think about that dialog with Scott, Netflix, and Left Financial institution went down? What do you assume he mentioned?

Nicely, he’s fairly assured as properly. I feel coming off the again of a worldwide hit that was The Queen’s Gambit, he most likely would have mentioned, “This is who I would like.” They usually simply went, “Okay, look, [Frank] doesn’t seem to misstep, so…”

Why had been you stunned when Scott approached you for Dept. Q?

I’m all the time stunned when anybody’s approached me about something. It’s simply the character of [the industry]. Additionally, it was simply after the writers’ strike, and one’s profession — except you attain the highest the place you may have your individual firm… It’s like a river that you simply don’t actually know the place it’s going to take you. There are going to make certain moments the place you may have large monetary insecurity and also you’re going to should take no matter is round. After which typically, somebody like Scott comes alongside and simply pops slightly reward into your lap. It’s few and much between.

So that you learn the script, you’re floored by it – what’s it that will get you so excited?

I simply love the character and the way he behaves. It’s primarily the naughty boy in me. [Laughs.] It’s so nice to see somebody who doesn’t care about being that impolite or bodily. I obtained misplaced within the story. I obtained hoodwinked by the construction, and I don’t wish to give an excessive amount of away… However, episode one and two I used to be like, “Ah, okay, all right. Okay. You made me feel a bit stupid.” It’s simply the sheer degree of intelligence.

But it surely’s extra in regards to the dynamic between the opposite characters. It’s not simply a type of detective issues the place it’s all about myself and a companion. That’s one of many causes that Scott attracts such good different actors. Sure, they’re good Scottish actors. However take the Scottish away, they’re simply good actors, full cease. They’re crème de la crème individuals. A few of them I desperately needed to work with for a very very long time. And you’ll solely entice the extent of these individuals if the writing is three dimensional and nuanced and nice, and that’s what Scott offers you.

How would you tease viewers in who won’t know something about Dept. Q?

For individuals who don’t know, it’s an adaptation of Division Q, the Scandinavian novels by Jussi Adler-Olson. They’re unbelievably standard. And the star of our present is Scott Frank, he’s been the most effective screenwriter for 30 years in Hollywood. Or considered one of, and it’s a brief checklist. And now he’s the most effective administrators. All of us had the pleasure throughout lockdown of — I imply, I do know we had been a captive viewers — however The Queen’s Gambit is particular, and that’s him, that’s his thoughts, that’s his potential, that’s his route, his authority. And he’s solely getting extra authoritative and extra good. He’s just like the second coming of [American filmmaker] Sidney Lumet. He’s not letting you down. He’s cinematic, he’s clever, and he by no means, ever treats an viewers something apart from being as clever as he’s, proper? So the story will unfurl for the viewing pleasure of an viewers that he is not going to write right down to you. He believes in them, and you’ll get an excellent story with spectacularly good performing. I apologize for myself, clearly, however everybody else is good in it.

It’s a gripping story, it’s a puzzle. And he invitations everybody to get in on that puzzle. Additionally, the good factor is, it doesn’t really feel prefer it’s gonna be, “Hey, we want to be part of the zeitgeist, so we’re just gonna release one episode per week.” It’s like, “Hey, you want it? You got it. Have the lot.” It’s in your viewing pleasure. If you wish to undergo it since you like it, you’ll be able to. And I like that. I hate having to attend per week.

You don’t just like the weekly episode drops?

I imply, I don’t care what anybody does. But when I wish to watch one thing, I wish to watch it. You’ve obtained me hooked. Let me watch all of it. [Otherwise] I would get indignant and simply go, “Well, sod that. I don’t want to see what happens then.” I’m like a spoilt youngster. [Laughs.]

No higher platform for binge-watching content material than Netflix. How did this set evaluate to different exhibits you’ve labored on? You felt they had been a superb companion on this?

I’ve labored with them on a few issues now and I’m all the time amazed at how extremely fingers off they’re. I stepped into the second season of The Crown, so I don’t know what the primary season was like, however once I walked on the set, I used to be like, “This is great.” It’s not, like, seven individuals with a clipboard. It was simply the director. And I’ve heard it’s a beautiful expertise for plenty of individuals. And clearly, for Scott, that is his third time working with them. He’s given them Godless, Gambit, so that they’re fairly fingers off. Which was beautiful.

I learn just lately that you simply don’t like the concept of being well-known, or not less than it doesn’t sound like one thing you’d take pleasure in.

I’ve seen buddies which have gone by it and it simply looks as if an awfully troublesome factor to navigate. However, I don’t know, I like my job greater than I ever have now. You undergo the adolescent stage and I feel my spouse is like, “Oh maybe you’re about to finally grow up.” [Laughs.] I don’t know. I’m very conscious of how fragile it’s, you would lose all of it in a day by way of a alternative or simply being knocked over by a automotive or one thing. However yeah, I might love to return again and do one other season of this.

The entire expertise was so great. But it surely’s all in regards to the firm of actors. It was essentially the most uncompetitive, stunning setting too. I imply, don’t get me flawed, it kicked the proverbial out of us, trigger it’s long-form TV. It’s like, carry some stamina, since you’re making 4 or 5 movies again to again, successfully. But it surely was joyous and I felt like I’m getting higher at having a place of duty, and how one can assist.

Are you cautious, then, that you simply’re about to step into the lead function of what’s going to be an enormous Netflix present? Particularly with Scott hooked up, off the again of The Queen’s Gambit.

I fairly just like the duty of it. If we get to go once more, I feel Scott will write one thing equally good and if we get to return again to Edinburgh, I imply, it simply ticks so many packing containers of pleasure.

I don’t understand how individuals will react to it. I’m on eggshells in the meanwhile as a result of I’ve been in issues that I assumed had been good earlier than and it’s like tumbleweeds [when it airs]. You go, “Oh, no… Misjudged that one.” So we will see. I really feel like this has a contemporary take. It’s all the time going to be contemporary to a sure level when you may have a model new forged of people that have by no means labored collectively. However Scott’s intelligence and diploma of professionalism, throughout digicam and making it cinematic and and in addition having simply so many attention-grabbing characters — and an entire lack of sentimentality. He rips any of that out, he hates it. It’s nice enjoyable. You’ve obtained to do your homework, you’ve obtained to return ready, but it surely’s simply good.

Did you learn the unique books?

No. We’re taking it out of Copenhagen and placing it into Edinburgh, which is the right metropolis to make it English-speaking. Not simply because it’s the judicial middle of Scotland, but additionally with the mediaeval structure and it’s fairly small. It turns into an actual character of our sequence.

Scott warned me off [reading the books] in a means, and that was so liberating, as a result of I’ve carried out many variations of my profession. And typically you get so hooked up to bits within the e-book after which they simply don’t seem in it. We obtained to create a unique previous. So [Morck] continues to be a little bit of a thriller to individuals, which is, once more, why I wish to come again.

It is a present that’s asking for a season two.

It’s begging for it.

And I’ve to ask about Downton Abbey 3, too, as I noticed you gained’t be returning as Henry Talbot for the movie…

Nicely, I used to be filming [Dept. Q]. And for the scene they needed to do, it was half a web page. So there was by no means going to be an excessive amount of in there, however I couldn’t do it. And really, I mentioned, you recognize what? Why can’t this be a very constructive factor? As a result of I don’t know what they’re doing. They may kill [Henry]! I didn’t see the script. But it surely’s a beautiful alternative — [Mary, Michelle Dockery’s character] is like this contemporary feminist icon and in a bizarre means, possibly she doesn’t want a fella. Perhaps Downton’s sufficient or possibly some previous suitor will are available in. Now, it opens up the story to have one thing vital occur. Why have Henry come?

It might have been beautiful to have carried out it as a result of I adored the forged. To work with Allen Leach day-after-day is to essentially have a really, very humorous day. And Hugh [Bonneville] and clearly, Dockers and the remainder of them. However I’ll tune in. I’d like to seek out out what occurs.