A curious list of suspects is investigated by an even more unusual group of woolly crime-solvers in The Sheep Detectives. The rolling green hills of George’s (Hugh Jackman) farm are the perfect home for his devoted flock. The charming shepherd has a nightly routine of reading murder mysteries to the fluffy audience, and their peaceful life is shattered when the sheep discover George dead one morning. Determined to catch their shepherd’s killer, the flock gets on the case, with some humans tagging along to help.
To complement the all-star voice cast for the sheep, we also meet a colorful cast of human characters played by actors Nick Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Emma Thompson, and more. Some of them suspicious, some of them curious, and all of them a part of a great whodunit.
Nick Braun and Nicholas Galitzine star as the cop and reporter duo of Tim Derry and Elliot Matthews, respectively. Tim is described as a bit of a klutz and a coward, but he aims to change the way the town sees him as this murder investigation unfolds. “Tim is driven by the need to prove himself to a town that sees him as an incompetent cop,” says Braun. Luckily, the sheep help him come out of his shell and become the officer he’s meant to be.” He adds, “I always imagined that Derry didn’t just want to be a cop—he wanted to be a detective, but failed the exam. Solving this case becomes a kind of redemption, even if it’s just proving to himself that he’s capable—that he can get it right and save the town.”
Nicholas Braun stars as Officer Tim Derry and Molly Gordon as Rebecca Hampstead in “The Sheep Detectives”
Meanwhile, Elliot stumbles upon George’s mysterious death when he comes to Denbrook in an attempt to publish his first ever news story. Together with Officer Derry, they both work towards solving the crime to boost both their careers. “The buddy-cop movie is one of my favorite genres,” says Galitzine, “so getting to work with and learn from a comedic talent like Nick Braun was really fun.”
No one expected Rebecca Hampstead, played by Molly Gordon, to arrive in Denbrook, as the people in town didn’t even know she existed. George never disclosed to anyone that he had a daughter, and this immediately makes her suspicious to the people, and the sheep. “Rebecca was a delicious challenge,” says Gordon. “She’s set up as a suspect from her entrance,which gave me so many fun opportunities to toy with the audience’s expectations and interpretations. I spent a lot of time thinking about how certain looks or movements could be read. I’d never done a mystery before, let alone one where I’m the prime suspect, so I had so much fun getting to play.”
(L-R) Molly Gordon stars as Rebecca Hampstead, Kobna Holbrook-Smith as Reverend Hillcoate, Nicholas Galitzine as Elliot Matthews and Hong Chau as Beth Pennock in “The Sheep Detectives”
There has always been animosity between George and innkeeper Beth Pennock, played by Hong Chau. Would the feud have escalated enough for her to have murdered the shepherd? “As an actor, it’s fun to play a character who has a secret—it gives you something to chew on and layer into each scene,” says Hong Chau. “You don’t immediately know Beth’s full backstory. It’s more compelling to reveal who she is through what she wears, how she looks and how she carries herself.”
It’s not every day the citizens of Denbrook see someone arrive in a limousine with a chaffeur, but Lydia Harbottle has a job to do, and that is to read George’s will as his lawyer. Mrs. Harbottle is played by Emma Thompson, and as a high-powered attorney, she brings authority to the table, in and out of the eye of the camera. “Emma is such a great team captain. The moment she arrived on set, we all just sat up a little straighter,” says Chau.
Secrets will be revealed, and the fluffy flock of crime-solvers will stop at nothing to bring the killer to light as “The Sheep Detectives” arrives in Philippine cinemas on May 6.
Credit: “Columbia Pictures”
