You don’t have to be a scary-movies aficionado to appreciate a good murder mystery saga. It’s intriguing, involving, and tickles our curiosity to the point where, without even noticing, you’re glued to your chair waiting for the plot — and to know who’s to blame. It’s like devouring one of Agatha Christie’s books — and that’s exactly what BBC iPlayer’s new production, A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, feels like. But with a fresh twist.

The production is an adaptation of Holly Jackson’s book of the same name, starring Florida-born actor Emma Myers, known for her breakthrough role as Enid on Netflix’s critically acclaimed Wednesday, as the lead Pip. As any high-schooler would, of course, Pip decides to sign up for a much more… complex (?) extracurricular activity this year: she’s determined to solve a murder mystery.

Five years before we meet this group of friends, a girl named Andie Bell went missing in the English town of Little Kilton. At the time, her boyfriend Sal Singh sent a text confessing to the murder before being found dead. Her body, though, was never found. Pip is now determined to prove Sal’s innocence. But no teenage-turns-superhero story is complete without a super friend — and Pip takes Ravi, Sal’s brother, played by industry newcomer Zain Iqbal, as her partner in (solving) crime.

Ahead of the release of AGGGTM, we caught up with Iqbal to discuss stepping into the shoes of Ravi, bonds on set, and what’s next for him beyond Little Kilton. Keep scrolling to read the full interview…

Hi Zain, thanks so much for chatting with us! How have you been? What are you up to these days?
Hi Wonderland, thank you for having me! Great man, living life. I’ve been doing what I always do — working out, watching movies, reading, auditioning, reading scripts, making the most of the somewhat good weather.

Tell me a bit about your creative upbringing — how did everything start for you? Do you remember the first time you fell in love with acting?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I think I’ve always been creative in general, in terms of the way my brain works, I’m quite a visual person. Growing up, I would draw and paint and build stuff. I was not so strong on the academic side but still got by. In terms of acting, I started around 4 or 5 years ago. I had the urge to try it because of my passion for film and love for performances. I started with small student films and did more and more, took classes here and there and started to get the bug. I became so interested in building characters and stepping into someone’s shoes, to go through what they’re going through and to feel what they’re feeling.

What were some of your early influences in the craft? Who inspires you today?
My love for film really began with my dad playing classics around the house when I was a little kid, like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Godfather and The Great Escape. People like Clint Eastwood, Marlon Brando and Steve McQueen quickly became my favourites. When I started getting serious about acting, I naturally started to look at where I wanted to belong in this industry and that led to me discovering Riz Ahmed and Dev Patel. They have both done so much in terms of representation in the industry. I love Riz’s film, The Sound of Metal — it’s such a huge movie for me. I look up to so many, Jack O’Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Keoghan, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. I’m drawn to actors that have very unique, almost odd, approaches to the craft.

Congrats on your new project! Tell us a bit about A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and what about the script interested you in this story.
Thank you so much. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is about a girl called Pip, who decides to revisit a closed murder case in her town, Little Kilton. Everyone believes that Ravi’s brother, Sal, murdered Andie Bell five years previously. Something doesn’t sit right with Pip and so she decides she wants to investigate the case with the help of my character, Ravi. It’s been adapted from Holly Jackson’s fantastic novel. The script is brilliantly written with an amazing story that has so much to offer. It’s gripping with so many twists and turns and an exciting plot.

Were you aware of the story before you started auditioning? Speaking of that, how was your audition process for this role?
I hadn’t ever heard of it, which seems strange looking back now — given there is such a strong fanbase there around the books. I treated it like any other audition, where you make the most of the material you are given, do the self tape or audition and then try to put it to the back of your mind. Looking back, I’m happy that I didn’t know of the book or the popularity of it, as I would have put too much pressure on myself. The audition process was really thorough, I had quite a few auditions including two chemistry reads with Emma. Ravi is such a popular character from the book and so I think the casting really wanted to get him right. I was able to work with Dolly Wells, our wonderful director, on developing Ravi as a character and it was a great process.

Who’s Ravi? Where do we meet this character, and what about him fascinates you the most?
Ravi is the brother of Sal, who was accused of Andie’s murder years ago. He becomes Pip’s right-hand man, her partner in crime. He supports Pip as she uncovers the truth. He’s sweet and kind, but living in unfortunate circumstances, due to his brother being accused of the murder. He’s so fascinating to me in that the town and it feels like the world have really closed off for him, but inside he still has so much light and so much good. It was so exciting to play that.

How do you feel most connected to him? Which part of him felt most foreign to you?
I think I share his good heartedness and positivity — two things that I really strive toward in myself. He gives the world to people who respect him and acknowledge him. Ravi is always there for people he trusts and he’s a fighter through and through. His vulnerability felt foreign to me — as I’m quite a closed book! He really opens up about his feelings to Pip, which is key to their relationship and the series.

How was your relationship on set with your fellow castmates? Any core memories you’d like to share?
Everyone was so much fun and it was great being around such like-minded people. I shared most of my scenes with Emma, so spent the most time with her and she was always there for me as my scene partner and as a friend. It was brilliant to film the hotel scenes — without giving too much away, that’s where Ravi really starts to have fun and come out of his shell. It was really hot day and we were running around the hotel causing mischief. Emma and I went for an Indian in the evening. The ultimate day.

Is there anything about Ravi that you think people won’t understand at first but you’d like them to know?
The amount that he suffered due to his brother being accused of killing his girlfriend. The racism, the bullying, the loneliness has changed him as a person. He’s lost his touch. He’s an outsider. Until he meets Pip…

Moving forward, what are some of your dream roles to play?
I’d love to continue being challenged, playing exciting characters that are far removed from me. I’d love to play a villain. Maybe a twisted indie where I can drink some bath water. Something exciting and weird.. not your usual watch.

A Good Girls Guide To Murder is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer and releases globally on Netflix August 1st.