Downtown Abbey star unrecognisable with hairy new look in huge Netflix thriller

Matthew Goode is swapping palaces for police files in Netflix’s gripping new eight-part series adapted from Jussi Adler-Olsen’s bestselling crime novels.

Known for his polished turns in Downton Abbey and The Crown, Matthew Goode delves into darker territory as DCI Carl Morck, complete with a scruffy demeanour and full beard. Carl is complex – a brilliant but broken detective with a chip on each shoulder.

“He’s so aggressive and rude,” says Matthew, 47. “I loved his sense of humour. He’s a complex character, and you get to see him warts and all.”

We meet Carl at rock bottom: a horrific incident has left his partner on the force paralysed, another policeman dead and Carl drowning in guilt. Stripped of his spark and barely functioning, he’s sidelined into investigating cold cases in the newly created Dept. Q.

His first case focuses on the disappearance of ambitious prosecutor Merritt Lingard. As the mystery unravels, Carl’s own mind starts to fracture.

Chloe Pirrie plays Merritt, a woman whose ambition hides deep trauma. The actress is no stranger to intense roles, with credits including The Queen’s Gambit, An Inspector Calls and Black Mirror.

Here, Chloe reunites with the show’s writer and director Scott Frank, who directed her as troubled Alice Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit .

“Merritt’s main strength is she doesn’t feel the need to please people,” Chloe, 37, says. “She’s loyal, someone you’d want on your side, but she’s also isolated herself. She uses people and doesn’t think that highly of them. She’s similar to Carl in that way.”

Carl is reluctantly paired with rookie assistant Akram Salim, played by Swedish actor Alexej Manvelov. Where Carl is chaotic, Akram is calm – a war-zone survivor with a quiet intensity and a moral compass that’s often tested.

“Akram’s a bit of an underdog,” says Alexej, 43. “He’s very mysterious. He’s from a war zone, so he’s seen evil at work.” On-screen, Carl pushes Akram into grey areas, but behind the scenes, Alexej and Matthew hit it off instantly.

“I was sure I was going to be fired during my first week,” Alexej says. “Then Matthew walked up to me at the make-up trailer and gave me the biggest hug. From that moment, we were friends.”

Although the original novels are set in Denmark, the TV series has been relocated to Edinburgh and the surrounding area. “Our cast is all Scottish, except for Matthew and Alexej,” Scott reveals.

The move made a big impression on Alexej, who had never been to the Scottish capital before. “Walking around the city feels like a fairy tale,” he says, “One morning, I was being driven to set and I saw this beautiful castle. I asked my driver what the building was. He said it was a school!”

Matthew, Alexej and Chloe are backed by an all-star ensemble that includes Game Of Thrones’ Kate Dickie, Kelly Macdonald, Mark Bonnar, Shirley Henderson and Jamie Sives. But even with support from a heavyweight cast, the role took its toll on Matthew.

“This job really affected me, that’s never happened before,” he reveals. “I used to blanch when I heard actors saying they couldn’t shake a role. Then it happened to me.” Chloe echoes the sentiment, particularly after filming Merritt’s most harrowing scenes.

“Intellectually, you know it’s not real, but your body doesn’t,” she explains. “When you’re that tired and the job is long, you have to surrender to it. That’s what happened to me. I made sure I gave myself space to recover afterwards.”

Strangely, some of Merritt’s darkest scenes became a source of comfort. “The set design was incredible, very immersive,” Chloe says, “Those scenes were weirdly comforting. There’s a freedom that comes from surrendering to the horrific situation Merritt finds herself in.”

Visually, the show blends Nordic noir with rain- slicked Gothic grit. But despite the dark tone, the series has plenty of humour thanks to Carl’s razor-sharp sarcasm and deadpan one-liners.

That’s especially the case when he’s at home, where he’s raising his teen stepson Jasper, who has been left behind by his mother, Carl’s Scottish ex-wife.

The pair clash, with Carl complaining about Jasper’s loud music and threatening to throw away all his belongings. But the scene was amusing for Matthew, who has three children with his wife Sophie Dymoke. “As a parent, I didn’t see the issue,” he jokes. “That’s just good parenting!”

Matthew was hooked on the character from the moment his agent sent him the script. “Scott could have cast anybody,” Matthew says. “When someone trusts you like that, you take it seriously. There was pressure but, as Billie Jean King said, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’”

Matthew didn’t read the books when he accepted the part. Instead, he threw himself into the role – sometimes literally. One scene required him to drive an old Ford Sierra with dodgy brakes.

“Every time Scott told me to drive fast, I’d be thinking, ‘I hope it stops and I don’t plough into anyone,’” says Matthew. “Occasionally, I’d turn the car off and walk away, then I’d hear it start again and have to give it a kick.” It sounds like viewers should prepare to buckle up for a wild ride – especially if Matthew’s driving!

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