Kris Marshall has become a household name for his diverse roles, from comedic gems like Colin Frissell in Love Actually to the endearingly hapless Detective Investigator Humphrey Goodman in Beyond Paradise. In this exclusive Félix Magazine cover feature, Marshall opens up about his artistic journey, the challenges of balancing emotion in his work, and how personal experiences have shaped his performances. With a career spanning decades, Marshall’s reflections offer a window into his craft, his connection with audiences, and what lies ahead for one of Britain’s most beloved stars.
The Evolution of a Career
Kris is from Somerset in the southwest of the UK, and has an affinity for the area’s beautiful beaches, clear blue water, and surfing. “It's a very wild and quite Celtic area of the country, and my endorphins come from being active in nature.”
Kris developed a keen interest for acting during his school years, despite not attending a formal drama school. “I loved being on stage, and as that became more interesting to me, schoolwork fell away a bit, and I started to get in trouble for neglecting it.” Eventually, he was expelled and had no plans to pursue university, college, or a traditional drama school path.
Kris chose to pursue acting instead of returning to school, facing seven years of challenges, setbacks, and perseverance before landing a role at the Royal National Theatre. From there, he joined the largest agency in Europe, where he secured four film roles in his first year.
Looking back at his early career, from My Family to Love Actually, Kris believes there was more than one defining moment that made him realize acting was his lifelong path. He explained, “People ask me when my big break was. For me, there were a lot more mini breaks, sort of an opening of doors on a long corridor, and you find a key, unlock a new door, then there's another door, and that's really the way my career's been.”
Artistry and Performance
Beyond Paradise delves into the emotional complexities of fostering, and Kris prepared to portray the realities of foster parenting by speaking extensively with The Fostering Network, a UK-based organization specializing in foster care. “We used them to give us parameters so that we didn't become mawkish or in any way, saccharin in our portrayal. We used their knowledge to try and convey the realities for people who are having to parent in a sort of temporary situation.”
Although research is paramount for Kris to embody a role, he noted that there’s still more to character development than that. Years ago, Kris was given advice from a director of the remake of Doctor Zhivago, who told him, “Don't play out your whole storyline in one scene,” so Kris believes in having an open mind. “The correct way for me to approach a role requires a light hand on the tiller. Jack Nicholson always said, ‘Two-thirds of your characters have to be you.’ There is an element of myself in all my characters because there's only so much you can mask whilst retaining that truism.”
His father served as an RAF navigator, a career rooted in discipline and precision. From him, Kris first learned the importance of punctuality, preparation, precision and attention to detail. “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail,” he mused. “I sort of rebelled against my father’s career—it felt too disciplined, not particularly freeing, all those themes of establishment and authoritarianism. Then, on my very first job in a British film at 19, I was over the moon… and I overslept my alarm. I arrived an hour late to set, and the shame I felt was an immediate and cautionary lesson. I’ve never been late since.
So I suppose that’s the wheel of life, isn’t it? You start off rebelling against your parents—then you become them.”
Beyond Paradise: A Deeper Dive
Beyond Paradise explores a more grounded side of Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman, particularly his life in Devon and how the setting shapes him. Kris elaborated, “One thing I love about Humphrey is that he’s very open. His arrival in the Caribbean in Death in Paradise came at a time when he was going through a divorce, and he was willing to embrace new experiences—that’s why he ended up living in a hut on a beach for four years. But when he returned to working for the Met Police in London, he realized he didn’t enjoy it. He thrived in the natural world, where he could live and solve crimes in a way that felt more in tune with who he is.”
In addition to the setting shaping his character, so does his character’s name; Detective Investigator Humphrey Goodman. “Good man. His name says it all, he's a good guy. He's inclusive, open, and welcoming.”
Costume design also shapes the character. Since 2013, when Kris started shooting Death in Paradise, his character only wore one pair of shoes, because every year he insisted on having the same shoes. “Shoes are so important to me as a character, and I feel that he would wear those shoes until they literally had holes in them.”
Having played roles in both period dramas like Sanditon and contemporary settings like Death in Paradise, Kris explained that costume design plays a key role in helping him transition between these different worlds.
“That’s how I move between these worlds—the clothes really help. Clothes make the man, as they say. How a person dresses is an outward expression of their character.”
Looking Ahead
When it comes to his ultimate goal as a storyteller, Kris wants his work to speak for itself. Over the years, particularly during his time playing a crime detective, he’s embedded subtle references—“Easter eggs”—for his audience to uncover. “Growing up, I was a huge fan of shows like Columbo with Peter Falk, The Rockford Files with James Garner, The Great Escape, and Barnaby Jones. I try to weave in little nods to those iconic detectives, and if you look closely, they’re scattered throughout my work.”
Reflecting on what legacy means to him, Kris offered a humble perspective. “When it comes to legacy, I believe it’s defined by the work itself. It’s whatever people feel is worth watching. For me, my legacy is just to keep working and to keep having fun. If I can leave behind a decent body of work that people enjoy, then that’s enough of a legacy for me.”
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Laura Notorangelo
- Photography
- David Reiss
- Retouching
- Brianna Kish
- Styling
- Prue Fisher
- Grooming
- Jolanda Coetzer
