Trevor Eve says he regrets ‘losing work’ because of his ‘reputation’

Trevor Eve has said he “regrets” his reputation for being a difficult actor to work with as it has “lost” him roles.

The British actor shot to fame in 1979 with his lead role in detective series Shoestring, but is perhaps best known for playing Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC drama Waking the Dead.

Over the years, the actor has gained notoriety for allegedly being challenging behind the scenes – and he’s now admitted he “upset some people” along the way.

“I was only difficult because I cared,” the actor told Radio Times. “It was never about the size of my trailer or my car being late. It was, ‘Why are we doing this?’.

“I rewrote a lot of my stuff because I was taught to believe if there’s something you don’t want to say, don’t say it.”

He added to The Times: “If you could actually spend 20 minutes making something better, then spend the time and make it better.”

However, Eve said that he now holds back from sharing his honest views as he was losing roles as a consequence – and said that he “regrets” his reputation “hugely”.

“For the last 10 years, I haven’t opened my mouth because I like to work,” he continued. “It’s very easy to get not employed in the industry.”

The actor also reflected on quitting Waking the Dead in 2011, after playing Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd for nine series, due to proposed budget cuts at the BBC.

According to the actor, who was reportedly paid £1m per series, these cuts would have affected the quality of the show, which he said “should have ended in 2007”.

He said “If you’re the lead actor in something, you are the face on the screen. So really your investment is huge compared to somebody who’s coming on just for two weeks or three or four weeks and they’re gone.”

Speaking about his decision at the time, Eve told The Independent: “The BBC basically didn’t have the money to continue to make it as it is.

At the moment we are in the studio 50 per cent of the time and on location the rest, but the new budget meant it would be an 80/20 split. It just wouldn’t be the same.

“I care about the stuff I do and want it to be the best it can possibly be. You’ll have a scene that isn’t right, and some people say ‘just shoot it’, and then when they watch it back it’s nonsense. I want to do things right. I’m just genetically set that way.”