The Halcyon star Steven Mackintosh: Mr Garland is "more than he first appears"
Richard Garland is the all-seeing manager at luxury London hotel The Halcyon
There is more to Mr Garland than meets the eye.
In the first episode of ABC's new period drama The Halcyon, we meet the hotel manager who glides through the luxury London hotel like a swan, keeping things flowing smoothly and dealing with crises without ever letting guests know that something is wrong.
But actor Steven Mackintosh has hinted that his character will be put to the test – and he is "great at secrets".
In an interview ahead of the show launch, he suggested that Garland will become more than just the consummate hotel manager: "As the story develops, we understand he has got quite an interesting history himself. Which we come to know is related directly to war.
"There’s a lot to discover about this man as the story goes on. He’s more than he first appears.”
More like this
Huh. Mysterious.
Explaining those remarks, Mackintosh told RadioTimes.com: "Secrets are sort of part of his world. He’s a secret keeper – he’s great at secrets. He's great at keeping the guests’ secrets, the Hamilton’s secrets, and sure, his own.
"He’s a man who will keep his own stuff quite close to his chest as well – so you will see him at times kind of pushed. He will be challenged in many ways. He’ll be put to the test. There will be lots of internal conflict and lots of times when he’s right up against it."
Mr Garland, who dotes on his hotel employee daughter Emma, is a widower and a "man of principles" who's had some "personal issues" to deal with in his life.
It was this hidden depth to Mr Garland's character that drew Mackintosh in, the actor added.
"I think if he maybe had just been the kind of just simply the kind of genial host and then you hadn’t got to see much more than that, then it probably would have been something that I wouldn’t have been interested in playing," he admitted.
"But it’s the levels and the different facets that make him interesting."
The Halcyon is on Saturdays, ABC
