Tahj Miles
12th February 2023
Interview & Editor-in-chief: Owen James Vincent
With the return of 'Death in Paradise' back on our screens; we got to chat to Tahj Miles who plays police officer, Marlon.
We chat too Miles about shooting in exotic locations, behind the scenes gossip and being nominated as Best Newcomer for an TV Times Award.
Hello Tahj! Thank you for joining ReVamp with us! How has 2023 started out for you?
2023 has started exactly how I expected honestly, Relaxed but with a bit of work here and there. I'm working on my podcast The Table Read at the moment, that's what I concentrate on when I'm not filming, I produce the content and book all the guests myself so it keeps me busy.
You’re starring in Death in Paradise as Marlon. This will be your third season! How does it feel to be part of such a beloved show?
It's an honor. It's not every day you book a role in one of the most popular shows in the UK, we are currently NO 2 behind Happy Valley which is brilliant for us, but to say I've been a part of it for three years now is a completely different feeling, it's my first major TV series and an experience that i will treasure forever.
I bet it’s nice to go away to these exotic locations. Do you get time to relax on the beach and enjoy the sun or is it all work work work?
I feel like the line between work and holiday is slightly blurred on this show. Of course, we work long hours, and get tired like you would on any other job. The difference here is our office is usually a lovely beach or villa, and after we clock out we go for a dip in the sea. So even when we are working, it can still be very relaxing and feel like a holiday. When we have days off we can do some site seeing or even visit one of the neighboring islands like Dominica or Martinique, we are spoilt for choice,
Have you got any funny behind-the-scenes stories?
Everyday has its moments honestly. There's never a dull moment. One that became a favourite of mine was when I accidentally got water bottles mixed up and picked up somebody's lemon water instead of my regular water, but instead of thinking I made a mistake I thought someone was playing a prank on me and made a scene. So from there everyone caught on and started swapping every water bottle I picked up with lemon water. It lasted all day! Even after we wrapped for the day, I went back to my villa and there was a crate of 6 bottles of lemon water left at my front door. As a former prankster myself I couldn't help but laugh.
Tahj with his cast members on Death in Paradise.
You also were nominated for TV Times Award as Best Newcomer of 2021. How did that feel?
That was my very first nomination of my career so it was a very special moment. I'm not a competitive person so I'm not too fussed about winning awards, but being put in the same group as actors that I rate very highly is what put a smile on my face. Actors in the category alongside me were Emmy nominees, Bafta nominees and NTA winners. So to be in their company clearly means I'm heading in the right direction.
You’ve starred in West End shows like The Lion King, Matilda The Musical, and Bugsy Malone. Would you go back there and star in something else? Also, what would your dream musical role be?
Back when I was in those shows I had a fairly decent level of singing and dancing ability, But my last musical theatre performance was in 2015 and I haven't trained either since, So I honestly don't think I'll be able to keep up these days. But If I was to take a swing at it again I would love to go back to The Lion King and play Mufasa, and Also perform in Oliver The Musical again but this time as Fagin.
Lastly, have you got any exciting projects you call your readers at ReVamp?
When I'm not on set a lot of my energy goes into my podcast 'The Table Read. It's where I sit down with other actors and creatives and talk about their careers and what they have coming up. I've been doing it for just over 2 years now and it started off as something I did for fun to keep me busy while I waited to get back to filming Death In Paradise, but it's turned into something that I've become extremely passionate about and like my acting hope to me doing it for the rest of my life. You can find it on my Youtube Channel 'Tahj Dinero' and on Spotify. I also write a lot in my spare time and have many stories in many formats that I hope you all will be able to see one day.
You can catch Tahj Miles as Marlon on Death In Paradise on BBC One every Friday at 9pm.