At 55 years old, Alistair Petrie is not slowing down.
The Sex Education and Andor star recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his TV acting career, theatrical ventures, and villainous roles prior to the release of The Night Manager‘s second season.
The series, released on BBC One and Prime Video, was initially supposed to be a one-season miniseries, but has since been greenlit for not one, but two new seasons following critical and audience success, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In the highly anticipated second installment, Petrie reprises his role as Lord Alexander “Sandy” Langbourne, financial director to Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie), a brutal arms dealer, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
While the first installment of The Night Manager is based largely on John le Carré’s novel of the same name, The Hollywood Reporter reports that the second and third seasons have only a loose basis on the source material, posing a formidable challenge for writer David Farr (Hanna, The Ones Below).
However, Petrie has only praise for Farr. “David has delivered a Shakespearean tragedy, I think it’s wonderful,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “This is just based on what I’ve read, but it’s going to be enormous. We’re supposed to be doing a third one next year and I really hope we do, because the people in it and around it are just wonderful.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Petrie is also making waves in the National’s Lyttelton Theatre production of the Shakespearean classic Hamlet, although the actor, who stars as Hamlet’s fratricidal uncle King Claudius, is bringing a refreshing take on the backstabbing royal.
“What I love about playing Claudius on stage is that he has such main character energy,” says Petrie to The Hollywood Reporter. “When the curtain goes up, Claudius firmly believes that he’s in a play called Claudius. He’s not in a play called Hamlet. This is his moment.”
With more than a decade between Hamlet and his last theatrical appearance, Petrie is cherishing being back in front of a live audience. “As an actor, I love the sense of being part of a group, of an ensemble,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I do think if we search for anything in life, we do look to belong somewhere.”
Hamlet is playing at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre until Nov. 22, 2025. The Night Manager is expected to be released before year’s end.