Lex Shrapnel worked with writer and director Nick Love on the 2025 comedy-drama film Marching Powder playing Vaughn alongside Danny Dyer as Jack Jones, and he previously worked with Nick on the TV series A Town Called Malice, in which he played Leonard Lord. For Series 12 of Father Brown, Lex had a guest role as Father Vincent Lazarus, and he will be returning to the role in the new series, and he is currently in Series 2 of Red Eye as SSG O’Hanlon, which released this month. In the Paramount+ series Sexy Beast, Lex played Alan ‘Two Guns’ Graves, and he joined the cast of Series 3 of Harlots as Lord James Croft. Previously, Lex played Rinaldo Albizzi in Medici: Masters of Florence alongside Richard Madden as Cosimo de’ Medici and Dustin Hoffman as Giovanni, Case in SEAL Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines, Gilmore Hodge in Captain America: The First Avenger, and he played co-lead character Jamie Cartwright in Minder opposite Shane Richie as Archie Daley. Further screen roles for Lex include the 2004 feature film Thunderbirds as John Tracy, with Bill Paxton as his on-screen father Jeff Tracy, and for his first job out of training, he was in the cast of K-19: The Widowmaker as Kornilov, which starred Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson alongside Lex’s father John Shrapnel and godfather Donald Sumpter. On stage, Lex was in the London premiere of The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Sculptures at Hampstead Theatre as V, worked alongside his father John in the two-hander play A Number, and he starred opposite Emily Blunt in Romeo and Juliet at Chichester Festival Theatre, where they played the titular characters. Speaking with Lex, he told us about playing Vaughn in the 2025 comedy-drama film Marching Powder, being in the cast of A Town Called Malice as Leonard Lord, working on Father Brown and his time in Sexy Beast for Paramount+.

In last year’s release of British comedy-drama film Marching Powder (starring Danny Dyer as Jack Jones), you can be seen playing Vaughn, can you tell us about the film and your character?

Marching Powder is a British comedy-drama with a lot of heart – funny, gritty and very recognisable. Danny Dyer is excellent as Jack Jones, giving real depth to a character that could easily have been larger than life. Stephanie Leonidas is superb as his wife, Dani, who’s quietly been putting herself second for a long time.

When she decides to reclaim some space for herself and goes back to art school, she meets my character, Vaughn, her art teacher. There’s a clear frisson between them, and it opens the door to her imagining a different life she might have lived.

How was it taking on the role of Vaughn and what did you enjoy most about filming for the project?

Nick (Love) sent me the script and we talked about a couple of characters I might play, but we settled on Vaughn. I really liked the story thread he’s part of, and the contrast he offers to Jack’s volatility – he’s measured, attentive and quietly encouraging. His scenes with Dani briefly open a window onto who she might have been, or who she could still become, which I found really interesting.

For me, the most enjoyable part of the shoot was getting to work with my dear friends Nick and Stephanie (I did my first TV job with Stephanie many years ago!). It was also a real treat to spend some time with Danny, whose work I’ve admired ever since seeing him on stage in the Pinter play Celebration way back in 2000.

What was it like reuniting with writer and director Nick Love, who you previously worked with on his TV series A Town Called Malice?

I adore Nick, and it was a real joy to be back on set with him. His enthusiasm and energy are infectious, and his spontaneity naturally encourages the same in you as a performer. I can honestly say that being on a set with Nick feels like my happy place.

Was there anything that drew you to the role of Leonard Lord in A Town Called Malice and what was the series like to be part of?

The moment I read the character breakdown for Leonard Lord, and the first couple of episodes, I knew it was a role I’d love to take on. The depth of the character – the tough exterior with the fragility underneath – and his arc through the series felt hugely rewarding, and it very much proved to be the case.

How was it having a guest role in Series 12 of Father Brown as Father Vincent Lazarus last year, and can you tell us about your episode?

I was very happy to be joining this much-loved show, and playing Father Lazarus was a lot of fun – a new adversary for Father Brown. It was also a real pleasure to work with Mark Williams, who I’ve admired since The Fast Show. There was an extra layer of connection too, as he had worked with my father, John Shrapnel, on 101 Dalmatians.

How much did you know about the 2000 film Sexy Beast before booking your role of Alan ‘Two Guns’ Graves in the 2024 TV series, and how was it filming the prequel for Paramount+?

I’ve always been a huge fan of Sexy Beast, which I consider one of the great British gangster films – and I think Jonathan Glazer is one of our finest directors. So I was really intrigued to see how it would translate into a series, and I felt honoured to be a part of it.

How was your time playing Lord James Croft in Series 3 of Harlots and what was it like joining the show for their third series?

Hugely enjoyable – great cast, great crew… great fun! It was a real pleasure to be part of such a bold and well-crafted story world.

In 2016, you played Rinaldo Albizzi in Medici: Masters of Florence alongside Richard Madden as Cosimo de’ Medici, what was it like being in the cast and getting into character?

It was a wonderful role in a fantastic series, and I have extremely fond memories of my time working on it. We spent months filming around Tuscany and then in Rome, and I made some great friends along the way. A particular highlight was shooting a scene in the spectacularly beautiful Piazza del Duomo – briefly closed off just for us – on horseback. And, of course, getting to work with Dustin Hoffman. Those were hard moments to top!

How did you find the experience on set of SEAL Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines as Case and Captain America: The First Avenger as Gilmore Hodge?

Both were incredible experiences. I really enjoyed playing American characters in each, and I love throwing myself into action sequences – sometimes literally! What was particularly interesting was seeing what SEAL Team 8 achieved on a much lower budget than Captain America, largely thanks to the ingenuity and imagination of the director, Roel Reine.

How was it being involved with the 2009 revival of Minder, and what do you remember most from filming as co-lead character Jamie Cartwright?

It’s a long time ago now, but what I remember most is the great fun I had working with the wonderful Shane Richie. The show also had an incredible line-up of guest stars, including Rik Mayall, Dames Meera Syal and Maureen Lipman, Steve Pemberton, and Rory Kinnear, to name just a few.

What are some of your favourite memories from playing John Tracy in the 2004 feature film Thunderbirds?

The whole experience was huge – being on a film of that scale at the age I was then. But I think my favourite memories are of working with the late, great Bill Paxton, who became a very dear friend and whom I miss very much.

Can you tell us about performing in the London premiere of The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Sculptures at the Hampstead Theatre as V?

It was fascinating to be in a room with the brilliant Tony Kushner, working on a play he was still making changes to. It could be nerve-racking at times, especially during previews when we had to perform new material on the night, but I thought it was an excellent and ambitious play. I also had the privilege of working again with the genius director – the dear, departed Michael Boyd – whom I’d worked with on the Histories and whom I loved very much.

How was it working on the two-hander production A Number alongside your father John Shrapnel and how different did you find this to your previous projects?

Working with my dad on such a brilliant play was truly a highlight of my career. Being a two-hander made the experience even more powerful. Over the years, many of our friends had worked with the other – he had friends who’d worked with me, and I had friends who’d worked with him – but we’d never actually worked together, apart from appearing in the same film. I’d admired his performances throughout my life; he was an incredible actor. So it was wonderful to rehearse with him, to see that side of him, and then to perform opposite him. The set was a mirrored box, so we couldn’t see the audience – only each other, multiplied to infinity – which made it extraordinarily intense. It was one of the great experiences of my career and my life.

Over your extensive acting career so far, you have been part of many other projects on both stage and screen including The Deep Blue Sea as Freddy Page, Death of a Salesman as Biff Loman, Chichester Festival Theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet as Romeo opposite Emily Blunt as Juliet, Infiniti as Anthony Kurz, Domina as Crassus and Extinction as Ray; can you talk about some of your further stand-out highlights of your career?

The job for which I left drama school, K-19: The Widowmaker, remains a real highlight. I was 21, it shot for six months in Canada, and it was directed by Kathryn Bigelow – whose films I’d loved growing up (and continue to). It starred Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson. My father was in it. My godfather (the wonderful Donald Sumpter) was in it. And my flatmate at the time, Sam Redford, was in it! It felt like a dream come true – and, in many ways, it really was.

How did you get into acting and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?

The industry was very much part of my life growing up. I spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years watching my dad work in the theatre and on screen, and my maternal grandmother, Deborah Kerr, was a wonderful actor too. So it was a world I was very familiar with, and from an early age I knew it was something I wanted to be part of.

At first, I thought I might want to direct. But during a summer job as a runner on a TV series called Bodyguards – which starred my father, Sean Pertwee and Louise Lombard – the on-set nurse noticed how closely I was watching the actors and suggested that maybe acting was what I actually wanted to do. She was right, and that’s when I decided to audition for drama schools.

Do you have any favourite films, TV and theatre shows to watch?

Too many to list, really. Apparently, when I was around six, I used to watch The Wizard of Oz on a daily basis for several weeks! A few others that spring to mind are Paris, Texas, Local Hero, Three Colours: Red, Raising Arizona, and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.

On TV, I’m currently thoroughly enjoying The Lowdown, and I was also a huge fan of Friday Night Lights back in the day.

Theatre-wise, I very much enjoyed the recent production of Oedipus, directed by Robert Icke and starring Lesley Manville and Mark Strong. I think it was the first production of the play I’d seen since 1991, when I watched my father in the Thebans trilogy at the RSC – which, to this day, remains one of the most affecting and inspiring pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen.

How do you like to spend your free time?

Travelling.

What are you hoping the next few months bring for you?

Opportunities.

Do you have any projects coming up that you can talk about?

I’m in Season 2 of Red Eye, which is currently screening on ITV, and I’ll be returning as Father Lazarus in the new season of Father Brown.