Ian Hart has joined the cast of Shetland. Making his big debut in season nine, the actor portrays Euan Rossi, a Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, who arrives on the archipelago after learning that his former student, Annie Bett, has gone missing.
Ian, 60, has been a mainstay on our screens for decades, most notably as Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), and Lord Maitland in Mary Queen of Scots (2018). But, despite his prestigious filmography, Ian is refreshingly down to earth, telling the Liverpool Echo: "All I do is act, I just keep working."
During his 2010 interview with the publication, Ian – who shares two daughters with his wife, Lynn – revealed how he juggles his family life with busy shoots.
"I am no different from anyone else. I am just like a builder or anyone doing a job. I worry about job security like everyone else. Working here or Los Angeles is all just the same to me.
"There's no difference to me working in TV or film," he continued, "a lot of it depends on the director. All I do is act, I just keep working."
Ian is extremely private, and his family keeps a low profile too. The actor's wife, Lynn, reportedly works as a teacher, and his two daughters – Daisy (born in 1996) and Holly (born in 2001) – prefer to keep out of the spotlight.
While Ian rarely walks the red carpet alongside his family, Lynn has visited him at work and was particularly impressed by the detailed sets created for The Last Kingdom. Over the years, the 60-year-old has enjoyed working on a variety of projects, but you won't find him rewatching his performances at home, or anywhere else for that matter.
"I've never liked to. I've never watched anything, no, no. I've watched a few things by mistake, but I don't make a habit of it," he told Den of Geek.
What has Ian Hart said about his role in Shetland?
After signing on as Euan Rossi in Shetland, the actor has been quizzed about his time in the detective drama. In an interview with Tripwire Magazine, he said: "What's the point in going to work if you're not going to have a laugh? It's the human condition to want to enjoy the company of others. The people on that show are all absolutely lovely, every last one of them from the props department, art department, sound, make-up…everyone."
"I worked with Ashley [Jensen] briefly and fleetingly on a film called A Cock and Bull Story some time ago," Ian noted. "Both her and Alison [O'Donnell] were absolutely lovely to work with, kind and supportive and just lovely people to be around.