Talented NYPD detective Carl Hickman is known for his exceptional deductive skills, but how does William Fichtner stand up to questions thrown at him…

How did you enjoy filming and living in Prague?

Crossing Lines is different to anything I’ve ever worked on before. I’ve shot films where we’ve gone on location but nothing quite like this. I’ve never been anywhere else where I had such a feeling of being at home as I had in Prague. We even had our favourite Irish pub in the old town. I loved that, as the American guy I was the fish out of water.

What was the toughest part of this role for you?

The twelve-hour flight from Los Angeles to London! That was really challenging, as I can’t sleep on planes.

Tom Wlaschiha as Sebastian Berger, Moon Dailly as Anne-Marie San and William Fichtner as Carl Hickman.

Carl’s right hand is seriously injured, did you have any tricks to stop you using that hand during filming?

There are a few moments on screen where you actually see his hand and the damage that happened to it. The rest of the time he has a glove on which covers it. So once I slid the glove on it was a great reminder.

You were the producer’s first pick for the role. Did you know you wanted the part straight away?

I have to tell you I’m very bummed that on the shortlist of three, I thought I was going to be number one, two and three but I was only number one. That’s ok. I got over it. I read the script and thought the first two episodes were exceptionally well written but it wasn’t an easy decision to take the part, it was a big commitment to move to Prague, as I wasn’t going to do it without my family.

Was there anything that you added to the character?

It’s so clear in the first two episodes who Carl is. It’s the back-story that for me as an actor I like to fill in, it’s where the character comes from that really feeds who they are today: who he is and what his difficulties are and the crutches that he is leaning on in his life.

Tell us a bit about Carl Hickman…

I think he is a character who has more than one plate spinning. One of those is the bigger picture of why he’s in Europe in the first place, and by the end of season one you will understand exactly what has led to him being there. He’s an intense character.

Crossing Lines is new & exclusive to Alibi from Tuesday 7th July at 9pm