Sex Education actor James Purefoy had a surprising former career before making the switch to acting.

It’s hard to imagine the 58-year-old star as anything other than an actor after performances in the likes of Fisherman’s Friends and Rome.

But the Camelot performer, who played Asa Butterfield’s dad in the Netflix blockbuster, previously worked as a mortuary assistant and found it ‘fascinating.’

It’s why James didn’t break a sweat filming his latest role as Dr Leo Harris in ITV’s medical drama Malpractice despite featuring some graphic surgery scenes.

Speaking to press ahead of the show’s launch later in April, the Marie Antoinette star said about the five-part series gore: ‘I worked in a morgue so nothing scares me too much anymore.

‘I also worked in an operating theatre so I know what to expect.’

Asked how he found a job in a morgue, he replied: ‘Fascinating. I was 17 at the time and I thought it was incredibly cool as I was a bit of a goth at that age.’

The A Knight’s Tale actor continued: ‘The only reason I was taken on as a mortuary assistant was because the mortician said I was the only person who came in saw [a dead body] and not fainted.’

Malpractice followers Dr Lucinda Edwards’ (Niamh Algar) life fall apart after an inquiry is launched into her actions on the night an opioid overdose victim dies on her watch.

Leading the medical investigation are Dr Norma Callahan (Helen Behan) and Lucinda’s former colleague, Dr George Adjei (Jordan Kouamé).

While George feels this was an unavoidable tragedy, Norma is suspicious of Lucinda’s behaviour and decisions in the lead-up to the patient’s death.

As the pressure of the investigation intensifies, Lucinda’s relationship with husband Tom (Lorne MacFadyen) starts to fracture, and her confident professional exterior begins to crack

 Malpractice will air weekly from Sunday April, 23 on ITV1 on ITVX.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Source: Read Full Article