Ken Scott on Scandi drama Fortitude: It's a very dark piece

How would you describe Fortitude? 

It’s a very dark piece. It is fear and double dealing; the darkness of the town of Fortitude in the Arctic and the darkness of people’s hearts.

Who do you play? 

I play Erling Munk. He is right in there in the middle of this mire of fear and hatred. It’s a hugely enjoyable character to act because he is an apparatchik Norwegian government official who has come to sort things out.

Why did you want to do it?

It’s fun to play a character that is appears to be one thing and actually is the other. 

How similar to your character are you?

I hope I appear to be a horrible man; but I am very nice!

Filming in Iceland must have been cold…

It was no longer midwinter, the snow was still there but we were very lucky. I was only there for a week or something. The rest was shot in a London studio. 

Did you have a good time on set?

The people of Iceland like to sing, dance and get drunk – and that’s what we all did.

You were in The Missing, what draws you to these dark roles?

They are very interesting characters purely from a anthropological sense. It’s as much about psychology as it is about theatre.

Which did you prefer?

Impossible to compare. One was more physically challenging – a lot of running around in the snow. 

After 40 years of acting what are you most proud of in your career?

The Debt Collector, which I did with Billy Connolly, but Channel 4 decided it wasn’t good enough. People come to me and say: “My favourite thing is The Debt Collector” and when I stop hugging them I say: “Tell that to Channel 4.” 

Is it easier to become an actor now or back then?

Now. Then you had to have a job to have a union membership and you had to have a union membership to have a job. 

What inspired you to start acting? 

I wanted to be the finest ballet dancer in the world. Then I heard The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix and I wanted to be a singer so I joined a band. Then I decided what I really wanted to do was be an actor. It was pretty simple. 

Fortitude: The Complete Season 2 is available on Digital HD now and Blu-ray and DVD from tomorrow