The Suspect | Interview with Shaun Parkes (DI Ruiz)

Q: Had you read the original book?

“I spoke to the author of the novel, Michael Robotham, for a few hours. We talked about life and the character Vince Ruiz. That’s when I started to get excited, because what I love about a character is a back story, something to build on. A root, a psychological background that you can stand on the shoulders of when someone says ‘action’. In the end I decided not to read the book and focus on the scripts. I love not knowing.”

Q: Why did you want to play Ruiz?

“I’ve known the executive producer Jake Lushington, Head of Drama at World Productions, for a while and I’ve worked with the director James Strong before. I’ve been banging on Jake’s door for about 20 years to give me a job. So, he finally did.

“I’ve played a few TV police detectives on screen and have done so many that for a while I thought, ‘I don’t want to play another detective.’ I thought I had done enough. Then this story came along. You don’t really know in the first couple of episodes what it’s about. But I realised that The Suspect is really trying to say something.

“At its core it’s reminding us psychologically that our background and environment is crucial to who we are when we grow up. If you grow up in a negative environment, don’t be surprised if that person goes on to have problems. I hadn’t seen that in a cop show in this country for a while. Those types of things draw me to a story. The deepness, the exploration of that is what pulls me in. I always like a story that might affect an audience positively in life.”

Q: Who is Detective Inspector Vince Ruiz?

“Vince Ruiz is a detective inspector investigating the very heinous murder of a young woman found in a cemetery. He is struggling to piece things together because it’s such a random killing. But Ruiz is a man of principle who wants to get the job done and will use all of the means he has to get to the bottom of this case. He’s also not afraid to admit when he needs help. And he wants to understand why people do this.”

Q: Ruiz talks about his despair at the murder of yet another young woman. That echoes with events in real life?

“We were certainly aware of what was happening in the news and actually re-filmed a scene at the cemetery where our victim’s body was found to include that line. We were initially thinking that maybe Ruiz might be lighter and went down that road. But when it came to that scene, there’s nothing light about it. About looking at a young woman’s body who appears to have been murdered for no reason.

“How can someone do that to anyone? The brain and the heart just do not understand how someone could do this. We wanted that scene to have the gravity it should have. And we included that line. We’re not dealing with a light subject matter.”

Q: There are things Ruiz has seen that he can never forget. You must have thought about how people like him carry on with their jobs day to day?

“I have a friend who is a former police detective inspector and I rang him. He retired early and I never asked him why. But it makes sense. From what he told me about what he had to deal with, I can imagine retiring early.

“Some people can cope with it and find it interesting. Some people have the ability to dissect a human being in terms of carrying out a post mortem. Some people want to do the right thing and protect the public. But the idea of having to deal with just how sick people can be? How brutal and violent they can be? That has stuck with me. I wish I didn’t know.

“Ruiz is a detective who has to delve into the mind of someone who would do this. That has got to take its toll. I can see why some police officers retire early because enough is enough. All they see is how bad people can be. How evil they can be.

“Ruiz wants to do the right thing for this murdered young woman. The way the world is going right now there is so much that can get in the way of someone just feeling for someone else. Let’s not forget that we are human beings. I think he feels that responsibility deeply. He takes this stuff seriously because it really should be taken seriously.

“At first the victim is thought to be a sex worker because of where she was found. When it is established that she is not, Ruiz suddenly gets more money for his investigation. You can’t have people running around killing people. Full stop. Again, we’re in trouble if we start putting murders in boxes as to their importance.”

Q: How would you describe the partnership between Ruiz and DS Riya Devi (Anjli Mohindra)?

“Devi is new. Ruiz likes her. She is a good sounding board. I had someone in mind when I was playing Ruiz. I was able to work with this person for a while and he had an assistant. When I read the first episode I thought, ‘That’s what we’re going to do.’ Ruiz does what he does and Devi just has to keep up. It’s not that he is stubborn. He just knows what he’s done, his way of getting somewhere, so he’s going to do that. And she seems to slot in fine.

“There is a moment where they have a bit of a disagreement, but they have a great relationship. You can see that Devi is always watching and studying and Ruiz likes that. She is on her way up the career ladder. But it’s all about finding out who murdered this young woman and getting justice for her. Devi is either with him or she’s not. I really liked the dynamic between them.

“It’s Devi’s idea to bring Joe O’Loughlin (Aidan Turner) in to help with the investigation. But it shows Ruiz’s willingness to adapt in order to find the murderer. To try and get some clue about the mindset of the killer of this young woman.”

Q: Are there any similarities between actors and detectives?

“I went to drama college where you are taught to study, to try and understand who people are, why people say things, why do they get angry and so on. In this case, I was able to observe someone and then some years later I was able to use that knowledge in a TV drama. It’s about looking and watching. Which detectives also do. They have to know about human nature to do their job.”

Q: Ruiz wears a striking pair of spectacles. What was behind that choice?

“Ruiz is studious and I know some studious people. I had a couple of people in mind when I came to this character. I looked at the profile of the man, how old he is, where he has been in his life. He’s had to work extra hard to get to the place where he is at. That takes an enormous amount of staying power. He has worked very hard to get there. Something that shows the toll of that, in terms of his glasses, I thought might be interesting.”

Q: What was it like working with Aidan Turner and Anjli Mohindra?

“Aidan cares as an actor. And when I meet actors who care, I love you. We’re in. Because I know every time we meet up on set and someone says ‘action’, that is going to lift the scene. Not the acting ability or whatever. Just the fact that you care adds to the script. I had seen Aidan in various things and I knew he cared.

“Similarly with Anjli. She has done loads of stuff since she was young. And she cares. I could see her caring. I’m going on 50. She’s going on 30. It was nice to meet some of the younger generation because these days that is the younger generation in my career. It’s so weird to say it but it’s true. It’s not that I’ve become out of touch but I hadn’t really stayed in touch. So it was lovely to have that as well. Not just about the acting but the worlds meeting.”

Q: You had worked with lead director James Strong before?

“I worked with James on a couple of episodes of Doctor Who in the David Tennant and Billie Piper era. So I knew James from there. James can see the full picture. He sees the scope from left to right. And he knows the margins within which he is working and can tie all of the other stuff together.

“As actors, we are doing what we’re doing. James is picking up the shots. He’s understanding who he’s got as an actor, what they do and how they do it. And he’s putting it all together.”

Q: You filmed this drama in central London?

“I left drama college in 1994 and I’ve not worked around central London that much. Back in the day it was too expensive. So I don’t know how they accomplished it. It ended up being new for me. To be in a scene and looking at The Shard right in front of you. It was amazing.

“We filmed all around London, including the renewed areas of King’s Cross and the Paddington Basin. It was a pleasant surprise to do that. I’m a Londoner, but I moved out of London over a decade ago. So I hadn’t seen King’s Cross change. I couldn’t believe it when we turned up to film there. If you took me out of my bed and put me there blindfolded, I wouldn’t have known where I was. It was beautiful to re-discover London on this job.”

Q: When you read the scripts for The Suspect, did you work out in advance who the killer was?

“I could not work out what was going to happen. All I knew was there was something more going on here. As soon as I read that, I was in. And you really don’t know who is responsible for this murder. As it unfolds you realise, ‘Wow’. That a story like this can happen. You have people who really are that devious in their thinking.”

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