Ralf Little believes his stint as "gawky 20-year-old" Antony Royle stopped him from landing a leading man role for much of his career.
Ralf Little
The 'Death in Paradise' star got his big break on BBC sitcom 'The Royle Family' in 1998, but he believes being cast as the awkward character stopped him from winning bigger parts.
He told BBC Radio London: “I am incredibly grateful for my career. I have had a wonderful time and I’m having a really wonderful time now being able to be in the Caribbean for five months.
“But I’ve had a 20-year career and this is the first show I’ve actually been the legitimate lead in ... at age 40. Don’t get me wrong, anyone’s lucky to even have one, but it’s taken a while to even get here.
“I think for a long time, I was firmly rooted in the industry’s imagination, who had a mental picture of me as a gawky 20-year-old.”
The sitcom came to an end in 2000 after three seasons and Ralf went on to star as Jonny Keogh in 'Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps' for five years.
However, Ralf believes he could have made it to Hollywood if casting agents had not seen him as Antony.
He added: “I think that’s possibly the most astute question and observation that anyone’s ever put to me. I do feel that actually, since you bring it up.”
Now, Ralf is looking forward to the future and hopes his role as Detective Inspector Neville Parker on the BBC drama will stop the typecasting.
He explained: “It is a high quality show, with complex murder ... new characters, and it looks beautiful and everybody feels good about it. Never was murder so enjoyable or looked so pretty. It is an incredible achievement.
"It takes a lot of effort to make it effortless. It is something I’m very proud of.”
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