It’s a strange thing to see actor Rossif Sutherland — son of the late Canadian icon Donald Sutherland and brother of Kiefer — star in a glossy, bigger-budget network crime drama like Global’s new Murder in a Small Town.
You know him best from his gritty independent films, all the way from 2007’s Poor Boy’s Game to 2015’s River to 2020’s Possessor. Still, he’s no stranger to television, especially as of late, with recent stints in The Handmaid’s Tale, Three Pines and Plan B.
In his latest, he finally takes the lead as Karl Alberg, a strong, silent type who moves to a fittingly quiet, coastal town to take a break from a tough career as a policeman. But of course, even in this seemingly tranquil town, he soon finds himself back on the murder beat. Love strikes, too, with Cassandra, a local librarian played by fellow Canadian treasure Kristen Kreuk. (The two share a fizzy chemistry.)
The series, which premieres on Sept. 24, is based on the Edgar Award-winning, nine-book Karl Alberg series by novelist L.R. Wright, meaning if the first season proves popular with viewers, this could be an ongoing gig for Sutherland. While he isn’t used to being front and centre, he’s got a deep affection for Karl, making that an exciting prospect.
“I’ve played detectives before, but [Karl] is different,” says Sutherland, in his signature deep and moody drawl. “He doesn’t wear a uniform, and he’s not somebody who flashes his badge or shows off his gun. He’s a detective who…can connect on a very human level. He fascinates me in the way that Columbo did when I was a kid. He gets the truth out of people because he listens and knows how to ask the right questions without making people defensive.”
A fan of the show himself, Sutherland hopes there’s more to come, even just to know what happens between Karl and Cassandra. He promises, “We’ve only scratched the surface.”
As with most of his roles, in Murder in a Small Town, Sutherland adds another dimension to a character that in any other show might feel rote. You get the sense he’s been through stuff, and indeed had an entire life before he arrived in town.
That gravitas is something the series producers picked up on, too, when Sutherland auditioned for the role. He had read the first book, and yet, his interpretation of the character was a complete surprise to them.
Like most, Sutherland has partaken here and there in pop culture’s true crime boom, particularly when it comes to podcasts. But with this series, he says, what draws him the most is the love story at its core.
“They’re trying to make the most of this extraordinary gift, which is finding love halfway through your life with the weight of each other’s mistakes,” he says. “But it’s the exploration of trying to define what that love actually means that I thought was a fascinating exercise for a TV show.”
Speaking of which, Sutherland lights up, a grin spreading across his face when Kreuk comes up. He says, “I love and adore that woman. We had a chemistry read on Zoom, and it was an absurd exercise, but they saw something and I’m glad they saw what they saw, because every time we were on set together, I don’t think acting has ever been so easy. She’s so present, generous and funny, and she’s been doing this for a long, long time. Having never been the lead of a TV show, she was a great support and guide as I tried to navigate my way through this experience.”
It’s an experience that sees Sutherland on posters all over Toronto, where he lives with his wife (former Reign co-star Celina Sinden) and son, and one that’s left him “in complete denial.”
“I’m used to doing small independent Canadian films that are such a joy to make, but they get seen in festivals, or by some people if they [make it],” he says, a bashful blush creeping across his face. “There’s nowhere for me to hide from this. But it was very much a labour of love; it didn’t matter how big the machine was or how much money was pulled into it.”
For the actor, it was a whole new beast, from the “endurance” of the everyday (which included long days and little sleep on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast) to studying multiple episode scripts simultaneously.
Adding to the thrill was the series’ many guest stars, including James Cromwell, Stana Katic, Paula Patton, Noah Reid, Erica Durance, Devon Sawa and so many more.
“It was such a privilege to work with all these people,” says Sutherland. “We made it fun. It was a very healthy, nurturing working environment and I guess that was part of my responsibility. I never had that, where the way I behave and go about the work has any influence other than on just me, but it was quite a gorgeous thing to have my hand leading the orchestra.”
Poetic as ever, Sutherland is never more eloquent than when discussing his father, who died in June at the age of 88, and was the reason his son became an actor and why he hopes to, eventually, make his way back to the film world.
“This was not a childhood ambition of mine,” says Sutherland. “I used to always tell my dad that I carried him in my pocket, whatever I did. And now my dad’s gone, but maybe not. Part of him lives in me and I hope to honour his memory with everything that I do; I’m an actor because of him and I’ll continue to be an actor because of him, but I haven’t worked since he passed away. It’s all been too raw; the exercise of losing myself in a character right now doesn’t feel right. But when the day comes that I’m ready to be on a set, that very place he called home, I know it will be very emotional for me, cathartic and beautiful. And I hope my dad comes to visit.”
