Ricky Whittle said fans will see more of his personality in his American Gods character ahead of the fantasy drama’s third series.
Whittle plays Shadow Moon, a demi-God in a world engulfed in a battle between old and new forces.
The former Hollyoaks star reprises the role for American Gods’ third instalment, set to arrive on Prime Video later this month.
British actor Whittle teased the character will contain more of his own personality in the new episodes.
He said: “You always try and add a little bit of yourself, as an actor, to any character. Even if it’s a villain, you want to add a little bit of yourself, because it adds that realism, so for me, I feel season three is a lot more like ‘Ricky’, because I get to add a bit more humour and comedy this season, which is a lot of fun.”
American Gods is based on Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel of the same name and is set in a fantasy universe where the Old Gods are at war with the increasingly powerful New Gods.
Ian McShane, known for TV roles on Lovejoy and Deadwood, is also returning for the third series, while The Crown’s Gillian Anderson previously appeared on the show.
Whittle praised the diversity on American Gods and said he had learned about other cultures while working on the series.
He said: “For me, I learnt, hopefully, what a lot of other people learn and it’s the beauty of difference, the beauty of variety. This is a fun show. It’s entertaining, it’s got every genre possible.
“This season, season three, becomes like a murder mystery for Shadow in Lakeside. It’s my favourite part of Neil Gaiman’s book. But it’s fantasy, sci fi, drama, romance. We’ve got the comedy, dark comedy, drama.
“But what it also does is provide a fantastic platform to raise awareness of the beauty of different races, sex and gender, sexual orientation, nationalities. We don’t pick sides, we don’t say ‘one is a good guy, one is a bad guy’, we just shine a light and show the beauty of each individual person.”
American Gods season three launches on Prime Video on January 11.
