If you haven’t seen the hit Netflix detective drama Dept. Q, where have you been? Dark, witty, and packed with great actors, the British thriller stars Matthew Goode as Detective Carl Morck, a man not overly blessed when it comes to charm. He’s grumpy and cantankerous, but also very good at his job reluctantly heading up Dept. Q, a police unit investigating cold cases. Such a hit was Season 1 that the show has been recommissioned – and it’ll need new talent to join Morck and his band of crime-busting misfits. Interested? Let’s find out how to get cast on Dept. Q.
Dept. Q is based on the Danish noir crime novel series Department Q, by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Tasked with adapting the novels, American showrunner Scott Frank (Logan, The Queen’s Gambit) has swapped out Scandi noir for stylish Scottish gloom. His Dept. Q team operates from an Edinburgh basement, with their first case taking them up to the Highlands in search of missing lawyer Merritt Lingard.
In addition to lead actor Goode, the show has a great cast that includes Kelly Macdonald, Mark Bonnar, and Alexej Manvelov. Plus, plenty of new, less-established talent gets a chance to shine.
The casting director on Dept. Q is Emmy-winner Olivia Scott-Webb. Based in London, Scott-Webb has also cast Fleabag, The Queen’s Gambit, My Oxford Year, and the new Netflix Pride and Prejudice series, so she’s clearly a good person to get in front of. She’s described herself as a “perfectionist” when it comes to finding the right person for a role.
If your showreel and CV are ready to go, you could send them directly to Scott-Webb via office@oliviascottwebb.com, but expressing interest through an agent may give you a better chance of success. As always, it’s important to remember that these are busy people, so be polite and mindful of their time.
The show is set in Scotland, so one top tip may be “be Scottish” — or at least be able to speak in a great Scottish accent. Executive producer Rob Bullock told the Chiswick Calendar about casting Kate Dickie. “Kate is used to directors asking her to soften her Scottish accent,” he says. “Scott was the opposite: He loved her natural accent, and particularly her swearing. He enjoyed discovering colourful Scottish insults and working them into his scripts.”
Edinburgh actress Catriona Stirling, who plays DC Wilson, told the Oxford School of Drama about how she was cast. “I submitted a self-tape for Caroline Kerr (a young mum) and DC Wilson (a young detective),” she says. “I got a recall for Caroline, which was in person with Olivia Scott-Webb and [casting associate] Diane Mabbett, and Scott Frank was on Zoom. I did the Caroline Kerr audition, and then he asked me to read for the other role. So I went out, came back in, and read for DC Wilson.”
She left the audition, and on her way home she was called back to do a chemistry read with Aron Dochard. “They asked us to step out and then Olivia followed and said, ‘Scott’s thrilled. He said, We’ve found them. Call their agents’!” Which felt ridiculous and very Hollywood.”
Goode didn’t have to audition, since Frank wrote Morck with him in mind. “I wouldn’t have necessarily seen that in myself to play this kind of role,” he told Netflix’s Tudum blog. A final tip? Put any doubts to one side and have the confidence to go for it.
Before setting foot in the audition room, check out the below guides: