Elf commander. Yorkshire bad boy. News reporter. Simon Haines has worn a lot of different hats and helmets as an actor, having appeared in huge TV shows like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Emmerdale, and Murder Most Puzzling. However, he’ll always remember his first acting role – at Mary Elton Primary School in Clevedon.
‘During show and tell, instead of showing objects or pictures of pets, I started coming in as a witch and started doing stand-up comedy,’ explains Simon. ‘Eventually, they said that it wasn't show and tell and that I needed to stop,’ he laughs.
However, his talents got him spotted for the first time by teacher Mr. Thurgur, who recognised that Simon had a talent. ‘He set up a film club for us and bought a camcorder, and we made films with magnets and puppets.’
Simon credits this for giving him the bug, and he then went on to perform in The Glass Menagerie at the Nailsea Little Theatre. ‘I was probably 20 years younger than everyone else, but that was amazing.’ After this, he went off to Cambridge University, before going to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. ‘Some of my colleagues from Cambridge just went straight into the profession, but I really wanted to get solid in my craft and set myself up to have a lifelong career,’ Simon explains.
He was glad that he did this in retrospect, doing a lot of theatre and even a year in the West End in Agatha Christie’s iconic play The Mousetrap as Christopher Wren. 'I love murder mysteries and I love Agatha Christie,’ he says. ‘My scenes were different every night, which kept everyone sane, and it kept it fresh for the audiences too.’
Simon also got to switch things up and flex his improv chops as news reporter Rod Reed in Channel 5 show Murder Most Puzzling. ‘There was definitely some inspiration from Points West, and part of my job was to improvise– I would invent local news stories, cracking up the crew until they called cut,’ Simon smiles. Most of these made the final show, and Simon is keeping his fingers crossed for a second series so he can do these again.
He’s not afraid to step out of his comfort zone, which has meant he has landed a huge variety of parts. ‘My character in Emmerdale, Owen Michaels, was definitely a wrong-un. My mum watches the show when it drops, and my niece loves it,’ Simon says. ‘It’s weird for my family, seeing me play very different roles as well. I tend to play a lot of villains!’
Sometimes he does play good guys, though – for example, he played the noble elf commander Malendol in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime Video. ‘It's just such a childhood bucket list thing to have ticked off. I even had it on my list of goals to be in as soon as I heard they were starting it – so it was cool to see that move from vision board to reality,’ Simon says. Another big TV show he has been in is Knightfall, which is available to watch on Apple TV.
When he’s not walking around Yorkshire or storming Middle-earth, Simon returns back home to Clevedon for home comforts. ‘If I come back to Clevedon and don’t go to the sea, it feels wrong and like a wasted trip,’ Simon tells me. ‘Looking out over the channel is very calming.’ He also loves visiting the Curzon Cinema, which is one of the oldest continually run purpose-built cinemas in the world. ‘It’s proper Art Deco, there’s an organ at the front that sometimes gets played before screenings, and there’s a little booth that sells popcorn and sweets.’
This character and charm of the town make it a breath of fresh (or shall we say sea?) air in comparison to his current home of London. ‘It’s a slower pace of life and you can see the horizon more – London's very vertical with lots of big, tall buildings, while the flatness of Clevedon allows you to feel the landscape around you.’
That being said, when he’s back in the West Country, he doesn’t mind a bit of city living, often heading to Bristol to see shows at the Old Vic. ‘It’s an amazing theatre, and it's such a great blend of Georgian architecture and modern comfort,’ Simon explains. ‘It also doesn't feel like it's caught up with London theatre pricing.’ Simon is also a fan of the community work the theatre does.
In terms of future plans, Simon has his own films in the pipeline, with Senior Consultant having been on the film festival circuit. He is also set to have a role in Running Man which stars Glen Powell (‘I can’t say too much about it, but I'm in the trailer which is a good sign’) and has been filming upcoming thriller series Ponies which stars Emilia Clarke (‘I have a cool role in that which got bigger and bigger’).
No matter what else he does, Simon’s simply relishing the joy of the job. ‘One of the things that's really thrilling about being an actor is that you don’t have that linear step by step – some of the roles you’ll be best known for haven’t even been written yet,’ Simon finishes by saying. ‘I’m excited about whatever comes next.’
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