[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy.]

The Big Picture

Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder Is Easy’ has been updated to the 1950s while still retaining its classic mystery charm with a new twist.
The lead character Luke Fitzwilliam drives the detective narrative with a strong sense of moral justice.
Actors David Jonsson and Morfydd Clark express excitement over being in an Agatha Christie adaptation with a focus on strong character dynamics.

From director Meenu Gaur and writer Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre, the classic Agatha Christie mystery Murder is Easy has been updated to the 1950s (instead of its original era of the 1930s) with a two-parter that follows Nigerian cultural anthropologist Luke Fitzwilliam (David Jonsson) as he meets Miss Pinkerton (Penelope Wilton) on a passenger train to London. As the two chat, Luke learns of a possible series of homicides that spark his interest enough to investigate, leading him straight to the home of Lord Whitfield (Tom Riley) and a cast of characters, including his fiancée Bridget Conway (Morfydd Clark), that could either turn out to be the murderer or the next victim.

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Jonsson and Clark talked about the honor of getting to tell an Agatha Christie story, filming in Scotland, why this new version was an important one, the amazing experience of working opposite Wilton, playing someone with such a strong sense of moral justice as Fitzwilliam, what they most enjoyed about working with each other, Clark’s desire for there to be more episodes, and how playing Maud in Saint Maud made a lasting impression on her.

Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy Release Date March 1, 2024 Main Genre Mystery Seasons 1

Collider: I love these kinds of mystery stories where you can just get lost in the world, the sets, the costumes, and the time period. Was that just so much fun to get to live in for a little bit?

MORFYDD CLARK: Yeah, it was so much fun. We were really lucky that we were filming in this big Scottish castle, and then in this absolutely gorgeous tiny little town. We had a few days in the woods, which were a bit more intense because the bugs in Scotland are really, really vicious. But yeah, it was wonderful. We did feel transported to a funny little place.

Agatha Christie Is a British Institution Whose Work Is Its Own Genre
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The works of Agatha Christie are classics. They’re these fun, beloved stories that have found an audience for a long time. What most excited each of you about getting to be a part of an Agatha Christie story? Is there something that just feels special about this kind of project?

DAVID JONSSON: Yeah. Agatha Christie is a bit of a British institution. She’s this amazing writer who wrote tons and tons of literary pieces. I always say that she’s akin to Shakespeare and Webster. She’s got so much work, and she’s done well for a reason. I really love her work. It felt like an honor. You have to push the form a bit. You have to move it forward. And that’s what this adaptation does really well.

CLARK: I was really excited when I found out that David was involved, and I loved what Sian [Ejiwunmi-Le Berre] had done with the script. It was just a really great way of looking at this story. I also just love Agatha Christie’s stuff because she views the world through such a funny lens. She thinks everybody’s capable of murder, which is pretty intense. So, yes, it’s just really fun, as an actor, to be in that world. It’s like a genre, in itself.

Related ‘Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy’ Review: A Perfect Cast Gives This Mystery Life The mystery series stars David Jonsson, Morfydd Clark, Penelope Wilton, Mathew Baynton, and Mark Bonnar.

Did either of you feel any pressure or responsibility in telling an Agatha Christie story, or is it just fun to live in that world?

CLARK: I feel like that with everything I ever do. I was mostly excited and thought that this was an adaptation that should be made and that there was a space that needed to be filled with what we were doing.

JONSSON: Beyond your natural nerves as an actor, which I definitely have, it was one where you have to get over yourself and go, “All right, this is something that is necessary.” It’s the first Black lead. It’s a completely new take on Agatha Christie, which obviously is a very, very big thing in its own way. When you have a chance to move something forward, why wouldn’t you? There was something bigger for us, as actors, taking this one on.

You both mentioned getting nervous about projects. What is the most nervous you’ve ever been, the night before starting a project and how do you get through that? Does it go away once you shoot the first scene?

CLARK: You’re not cast in something that you can’t do. That’s what I like to remind myself. By the time you’ve been cast, lots of people much cleverer than you have done lots more research and have decided that you’re the person who should do it. You’re safe, in that you feel like, “Oh, wait, I can do this.” I auditioned for drama school, and that was one of the most stressful things I’ve ever done. I could never do that again. You’re just alone, floating in the dark, it feels like, trying to be seen. When I get cast in something now, I’m like, “Oh, my God, I can’t believe that people think I can do this,” and then I try to believe that.

JONSSON: Nowadays, I go up and down with nerves. Sometimes I feel absolutely great and fine, and sometimes the job never equates with what the nerves are. But it’s the old cliché that whatever you’re feeling, you use it.

David Jonsson Got to Work With Hero Penelope Wilton in Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder is Easy’
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David, this adaptation kicks off with your character on a train where he meets someone who tells him about this series of murders. What was it like to get to work with Penelope Wilton? She’s someone who’s so good in everything that she does, and she’s done so many projects. What is it like to just share a scene with her?

JONSSON: It was everything. One of my favorite films is Cry Freedom. For many reasons, she’s a hero to me. She’s huge. And I don’t think I knew that she was going to be in it for a long time. So, being opposite her, so early on in my career as well, was amazing.

CLARK: And it’s a really lovely relationship that David and Penelope created. Their chemistry was wonderful. It really is the pin of the whole show. Luke meets Miss Pinkerton on the train, and it completely changes the course of his life because he cares for her almost immediately. I love those scenes. I remember when he came to set after filming them and everyone was like, “What was it like with Penelope?”

David, what do you think it says about your character that he becomes driven to solve these murders and catch this killer? He didn’t know this woman, and then he suddenly finds himself very driven to get answers.

JONSSON: That was the character. That was the first thing that I had to delve into because he has such a strong sense of moral justice, and not for any other reason than to help people. Good begets good. There’s always a trait that I love sinking into, as an actor with a character. I really loved that. That was my favorite thing about him. When you meet a good person, you can always tell by the aura. He meets her, and he just knows that she’s great. So, when she dies, which I don’t think is a massive spoiler, he’s instantly called to action.

Related Death Comes to a Small Village in First ‘Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy’ Trailer [Exclusive] The BritBox series stars David Jonsson, Penelope Wilton, Morfydd Clark and Douglas Henshall.

Morfydd, through your character, we get to see the role of women in this society. How did you approach what you wanted your character to bring to that? You had a female writer and a female director. Did you guys have a lot of conversations about what your character could be in this story?

CLARK: There were a lot of conversations about that. She is underestimated. She’s dulled herself down a little bit. That was quite fun, playing someone who’s being brought to life again by someone coming into her life. I find what she’s done with her fiancé quite funny. There’s a Jane Austen book where she’s talking about how someone’s married, someone that’s too old to be governable and too young to die. She’s picked a very governable, rich man. She’s like, “I guess that’s my lot.” It was mostly her rediscovering that, despite herself, she has feelings. I think everyone, at a certain point in time, has been like, “Do you know what? I can do without them. They’re too much.”

David Jonsson & Morfydd Clark Loved the Nuance of Their Relationship in Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder is Easy’
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What did you guys most enjoy about the relationship between your characters and the dynamic that develops between them?

JONSSON: I loved that it wasn’t average. You wanna give people what they want, and I don’t think it does. It ties itself around itself, and I really loved that it was nuanced. It’s not always so simple. I really enjoyed that. Morfydd just brought that in buckets, and that was fun to do.

CLARK: That was really fun. It’s two really sparky people who definitely change each other.

David, what was it like to shoot the scene where your character accidentally sets off the water, and it all comes running toward him, overpowering him? Did you end up wet for a while?

JONSSON: I ended up a little bit more than wet. That was quite a big scene to shoot. That was fun. I love doing as much as I can when it comes to stunts. That was a really fun day to shoot. It was great. That’s the thing about the show, it’s just full of action. I loved shooting all that stuff. It was a fun shoot.

Morfydd Clark Says Her ‘Murder is Easy’ Costumes Were More Comfortable Than Her ‘Rings of Power’ Armor
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How much do you guys get from the wardrobe? How much does that influence the character for you?

CLARK: We both did pretty well with our costumes. We were working with an amazing costume department. They had this amazing seamstress who tailored everything we wore, so everything felt fantastic. Bridget’s clothes were beautiful and lovely to wear, but they were quite restricting. You did get a bit of a stiff poise that people had at that time. The costumes are always so important. They were some of the best costumes I’ve worn and the most comfortable, much more than my (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) armor.

JONSSON: I love a suit. It was wonderful, wearing all of that. We had some of the best people working on it. We had some people from The Crown, who won Emmys, which was cool. It felt great.

Related 9 Essential Agatha Christie TV Adaptations, From ‘Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?’ to ‘Poirot’ All hail the mystery queen!

Is it hard to leave a character like this behind when you’re playing in a world that’s so much fun?

CLARK: I definitely would love to see more of Fitzwilliam detecting. What’s so special about our job is that you only what you’re gonna be for a moment. You really try to make the most of it, and I think we really did. We were also feeling really lucky that we were blessed to still be working. It was a very quick shoot, so we just wanted to make the most out of it.

Morfydd, you’ve previously talked about how the character of Maud in Saint Maud stayed with you after you finished the role. Does that change the kind of roles that you want to play after that, or the kind of roles that you look for? Is it just always about what most speaks to you?

CLARK: Maud did stay with me. At times, that was difficult, but playing Maud ultimately made me a better person. I like to think that I was already reasonably empathetic and kind, but I didn’t realize that I was accidentally growing a bit method and was going through life a bit as Maud. I think it’s made me softer. I hope so, anyway. I learned a lot from Maud, as well. Our wonderful producer, Oliver Kassman, made it very clear on the first day that we would be creating a set where Maud would be safe. I never wanna be on a set now where Maud wouldn’t be safe. Luckily, on Murder is Easy, she would have been. Everyone was just lovely. David was just the most wonderful leading man, in terms of his talent, but he’s also just so kind and lovely, and he carried it all with a lot of grace.

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Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy is available to stream on BritBox. Check out the trailer:

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