BBC Death in Paradise’s Don Gilet exposes real reason he was ‘drawn’ to long-running comedy-drama series
Death in Paradise’s new lead Don Gilet has spoken candidly about what attracted him to the leading role he had been “craving” for years.
The 57-year-old will make his first appearance as Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson in a feature-length Christmas debut following the end Ralf Little’s reign on the show.
DI Wilson’s first outing will see him stranded on the fictional Caribbean island of St Marie after he is roped in to solve a triple shooting.
However, it is not Gilet’s first experience of the strangely homicide-prone paradise – first appearing on the show in 2015 in a bit-part alongside then-lead Kris Marshal.
As former lead Ralf Little passes the torch, Gilet reflected on what made his new role so irresistible.
He revealed he had been watching the Death in Paradise long before his first appearance almost a decade ago and fell in love with the show’s blending of genres.
“I was drawn in by how they managed to balance the seriousness and gravity of a crime show – because there are murders! – with the quirkiness from the character’s perspective,” he explained.
Gilet added: “There are comedies and there are detective shows; they’d managed to combine those two things.”
As soon as he began watch the show, the former EastEnders actor found himself declaring: “This is really doing it!
When the news came through that he had been cast, Gilet recalled feeling a “great sense of relief” as he had been “craving” the role.
However, the actor admitted he also felt disbelief and anxiety about taking on the challenge.
He explained: “I liken it to one of those scary rides at a theme park. I’m going on it, and I know it’s going to be scary, but I’m going to do it. You’re daring yourself. Then you sit in the seat going, ‘What have I just let myself in for?!’”
His own personal anticipation about taking the helm of Death in Paradise has inspired Gilet to dedicate himself fully to the role.
Speaking to Radio Times, Gilet revealed that he refused to visit the beach only two minutes from his home as it would take time away from learning his lines.
The 57-year-old also even barred his father, sister, and grown-up son from visiting the island paradise – despite expectations of an invitation.
The actor eliminated anything from his day-to-day that could distract from the “time you study the script so that you know it inside out.”
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As Death in Paradise’s first black lead, Gilet has also previously spoken previously about what his casting means to a show that was sometimes criticised for propagating a “white saviour” stereotype.
The 57-year-old explained there are “superficial ways one can be described and defined” when the issue was put to him by the Radio Times.
The new Death in Paradise star declared the roles he goes for are not: “Black parts, they’re just parts.”