Douglas Henshall, who played DI Jimmy Perez in the BBC series Shetland, has opened up about his decision to leave the show after seven seasons. The 57-year-old Scottish actor announced his departure in June 2022, just before the seventh season finale aired. Speaking to Radio Times, Henshall said he felt the character had 'run its course' and was ready to explore other acting opportunities.
In an interview with The Sun, Henshall admitted he grew tired of playing a 'good' character. 'It will be nice to play somebody who isn't so irredeemably good as Perez,' he said. 'I'd love to play a baddie again, that would be fun.' He also noted that filming his final scenes was 'a little anticlimactic' due to COVID delays.
The eighth season of Shetland, which airs tonight on BBC One, introduces a new lead detective, DI Ruth Calder, played by Ashley Jensen. Henshall praised the casting, saying, 'She's a great actor and she's obviously very different from me. I think it's going to be very different, but I think that's what's most exciting about it.'
Henshall also discussed the challenges of finding acting roles as an older actor. In August 2023, he told Radio Times, 'It's very difficult to make conscious decisions about what you're going to do when you're a 57-year-old white man. There aren't so many roles around for me any more.' His first post-Shetland project was the Netflix thriller Who is Eric Carter?, where he played a villain.
