Q&A: Daniel Henshall, actor, 37

Actor Daniel Henshall on his new TV series Defending Jacob, how he’s coping with isolation - and playing a real-life serial killer.

New projects: Daniel Henshall. Picture: Josh Robenstone

You and your wife, costume designer Stacey O’Connor, have just returned to Melbourne from your home in New York. Was it a hard decision? It was just weighing too heavily on my heart being so far away from mum and dad. It’s very simple at a time like this, what’s important and what’s not. We’re in a two-week quarantine, but we were self-isolating at home in Brooklyn so we’re getting pretty used to it. We’re very grateful to be in a position where we have a roof over our heads.

What was the vibe like in New York? There was a quiet anxiety in the air but people were respectful of your space and going out of their way to smile at you, which is what I love about New York. The projections were getting more dire every day so I don’t know what the atmosphere will be like in the next few months. We thought we’d best get out of there while we could.

How are you keeping busy in quarantine? We had a Zoom [virtual] birthday party on the weekend with some dear friends. We’re reading a lot and I’m catching up on some good TV content: Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, Love My Way...

What’s your food situation? Our neighbours have rallied around and dropped off care packages so we’ve got a pretty full pantry. I’m on a plant-based diet so I’ve been toying with marinating different soy products such as tofu and tempeh, and cooking curries from scratch. It feels good to have the time; you forget how much satisfaction you get from cooking.

Were you working on anything? I was very fortunate to get my stuff for Netflix show Clickbait done before the shutdown. I’m confident that when it’s safe, TV making will go back in full swing because there’ll be so much demand for new content.

You’re still remembered for your chilling portrayal of real-life serial killer John Bunting (Snowtown, 2011). Are you proud of that? I guess so. You’ve done your job then, haven’t you? The character is a horrifying human. It does take me aback sometimes just how affecting that performance was. I’m still meeting colleagues who are like, “I was a little bit unsure of how to receive you because of that film.”

Did that include your co-stars in the new murder-mystery series Defending Jacob? I was blessed in that Chris Evans was a huge fan of Snowtown. It was quite daunting meeting the cast at the read-through – you’ve got him, Cherry Jones, Michelle Dockery [Downton Abbey], a lot of great actors. But they were all incredibly collaborative from the get-go so it gave me great confidence I was meant to be there.

Your film Ghost in the Shell caused a scandal with the casting of Scarlett Johansson as a Japanese woman. Were you surprised? No, the accusations of whitewashing were valid I think. It’s a fine line because as an actor you should be able to play any role you want – that’s what actors do – but I also believe if it’s a gay or trans or Asian character, why don’t we give the role to someone from that community?

Now that you’re back in Australia, is there anything you realise you’ve been missing? The open space, the sky, the bush, the native trees, the smell, the birds. The produce – oh my lord! You just think how good we have it. The coffee!

Defending Jacob will debut on Apple TV on April 24