Why Downton Abbey's Matthew Goode didn't read Dept. Q books before starring in Netflix series
Goode said that source material can become "like a bible" if you pay it too much heed.
Matthew Goode stars in new Netflix drama Dept. Q, which sees his character, a difficult but brilliant detective, heading up a new department investigating cold cases in Edinburgh.
The series is based on the acclaimed novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen, which were originally set in Copenhagen and which have already been adapted into a series of Danish films.
In spite of this deep well of source material for Goode to dive into, he and the rest of the cast revealed they didn't do so, after being advised not to by writer and director Scott Frank.
Speaking exclusively with RadioTimes.com, alongside his co-stars Alexej Manvelov and Leah Byrne, Goode said: "I was aware of the books but Scott said... he didn't demand it, he didn't say you can't read them, he just said, 'You don't have to, if you want to.'
"And then because, obviously, he's transposed it from Copenhagen, he's put it in Scotland, he's made me suddenly English, so a lot of that stuff doesn't really... and a lot of it's in the script.
"That sounds really lazy, doesn't it? But I really enjoyed the fact that we could make up some of Carl's history, as opposed to having to do the book. I find it very freeing."
Manvelov, who plays Syrian refugee and Morck's unofficial partner Akram, added: "Me too, I didn't. I was told, 'You don't have to read them,' and I didn't.
"And there are films from Denmark, which my friend Fares [Fares] plays the same character, so I didn't watch them intentionally, to not get influenced."
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"Yeah, exactly," said Goode. "And there's always something... I've done a lot of books in my career, there's always something that you'll hang on to and then it won't be in there, or they'll do something and you go, 'Look, on page 128 [it] says this, OK!' So it's quite nice not to have that tie, because it becomes like a bible otherwise."
Byrne, who also spoke with RadioTimes.com, plays Rose in the series, an ambitious officer whose career has become stunted after she had a public breakdown in mental health.
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The star-studded drama also features in its cast the likes of Kelly Macdonald, Chloe Pirrie, Mark Bonnar, Kate Dickie, Shirley Henderson and Jamie Sives.
Dept. Q is available to stream on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
