Death in Paradise's returning star reflects on Don Warrington reunion
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Death in Paradise's Sean Maguire has reflected on reuniting with Don Warrington after 13 years.
The pair play Marlon Collins and Commissioner Selwyn Patterson respectively in the sun-kissed murder-mystery drama, but haven't shared the screen together since the show's premiere episode.
In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Once Upon a Time actor Maguire shared ahead of his character's return for the drama's 100th episode: "It's a huge honour to be opposite Don Warrington because he is a legend. He is iconic.
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"If you're lucky enough to get to work with a Don Warrington, and you can sit and chat about his career, and how things have changed, especially for actors of colour, and things like that, which is something that, you know, I hold dear to my heart – he was really, really generous," he continued.
"The other thing is, when we did the very first episode and my girlfriend (Tanya) came with me, we were all having dinner on one of the first nights – and I'm very proud of my wife, because she was a detective with the Metropolitan Police, and still was, actually."
After learning of Tanya's profession, Warrington was immediately intrigued.
"So Don was like, 'Wait, so how did you do this, and how did you do that?' He was really fascinated with her, because he was just about to play the commissioner – and Tanya's far more interesting than I am. So it was really lovely," recalled Maguire.
"I, as a fan, was really interested in him, and he was fascinated by my wife's career. I was like, 'I'm just happy to be sitting there. I'm just happy to be in the conversation.'"
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Maguire, who has also played Russell Lightbourne in The 100, went on to commend Warrington for blazing a trail through the industry.
"You don't get where you're going, and then go, 'I'm alright, Jack.' You always leave the door open for the next one, and try to help the next generation up," he said.
"And he was wonderful like that, and very, very kind – and also just a fabulous actor. When you're in scenes with really great actors, it just grounds you a little bit, and you just think, 'Alright, let's not do any acting. Let's just listen.' He's got that baritone gravitas.
"So, yes, I feel very, very honoured and blessed to have got to work with him twice, and to call him a friend."
Death in Paradise returns on February 4 at 9pm. The main show and its spin-off, Beyond Paradise, both air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.
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