The actor who was born and raised in north Wales, plays farmer and patriarch Solomon Bevan in the series
15:24, 05 Feb 2026Updated 20:41, 05 Feb 2026
Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce stars in Sky’s new series Under Salt Marsh which was filmed in North Wales(Image: Sky UK Limited.)
Sky’s new series Under Salt Marsh has blown away audiences with its depiction of small Welsh communities and the sheer beauty of north Wales’ coastlines. The series features a stacked cast including Yellowstone’s Kelly Reilly, Rafe Spall and Welsh acting legend Jonathan Pryce.
The actor who was born and raised in north Wales, plays farmer and patriarch Solomon Bevan in the series. His character’s nine-year-old grandson, Cefin is found dead on the side of water bank, and the series follows who could have murdered him.
When it came to casting Under Salt Marsh, creator Claire Oakley was inspired by small Welsh communities. She said: “Having spent time in small communities in North Wales, I guess I’d picked up a collection of eccentric characters or people I thought I could kind of put into the show as well as like reading a lot of local papers. characters come through research really for me.
“I hope that through that I can make an authentic portrayal even though it is a fictionalised place and specific to the story that we’re telling. Then you have the treat of casting this community.” For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
Although, when it came to casting Under Salt Marsh, Claire had one actor in particular in mind. She explained: “Jonathan plays a really central, pivotal role. I remember when Jonathan and I first met, and I’d had this dream that Solomon would be played by Jonathan Price.”
Jonathan joked: “Should have asked for more money. “
Claire continued: “I just didn’t know at all whether it was going to be a reality or not. But we met on a…well I think it was a phone call and Jonathan just asked one question, which was ‘why do you want me to do it?’
“Which is maybe the obvious question but it really put me through my paces.
“I think I described the character that was on the page, but also, you know, that he was this patriarch of the community and he had this kind of sort of self-made sort of power over everyone, in a sense, and I think, I remember Jonathan saying, ‘oh, I’ll have to do some acting then’.”
When asked why he decided to take on the role, inevitably Jonathan spoke about returning home. He explained: “Location had a lot to do with it, the idea of going back to where I come from, North Wales.
“I’ve made films and programmes in South Wales quite a few times, but never in the north so it’s a chance to revisit that, and a chance to celebrate a side of my family who are from Bethesda and Bangor. All that area.
“It was a genuine question when I asked Claire, ‘why me?’. Because on the page, he’s written as a very formidable, strong character that, you know, that people would say he walks in the room and he takes over. But they’re the hardest roles to play because there’s not a lot you can do. You can’t say that you are imposing, it’s how everyone around you reacts and gives you status. So once we had that understanding, that was fine.
“I remember saying, ‘I might not be your Solomon Bevan, but I’ll be my version of Solomon Beavan’. But I think it comes out quite well.”
Jonathan Pryce enjoyed returning to North Wales to film Under Salt Marsh(Image: Sky )
Jonathan then went on to share an anecdote of his time growing up in North Wales, as he said that returning to film “was fantastic.”
He continued: “You know, the last time I’d been down that part of the coast and spent any time down there, I was a teenager and we used to go on motorbikes from Holywell and I was on the back of Frank Tweedle’s Tiger Cub, I remember, and we were in search of girls.
“It was a bit different this time. I wasn’t on a tiger cub.”
The actor revealed his favourite part of the series, and in true Welsh style is had to be the rain. Jonathan shared: “Well, I’ve got to say I enjoyed all of it, every bit of it, and getting the chance to act in that landscape was a real gift. “As far as the most exciting thing was the storm scene where you’re battling against…. the irony being it was nearly always raining except the day we filmed the rain scene. So we had the huge massive drenches pouring down, there was wind machines blowing, and for me it was fun. I was giving my Welsh King Lear.
“So that was that was fun, but I just enjoyed the whole experience. I enjoyed being with my fellow Welsh actors and you know we had a few incomers we allowed in, but it it was just a great experience.
“I saw the first two episodes last week in BAFTA and I’m just so impressed with the scale of the images and it’s just so impressive. Cinematography is wonderful, but what they’ve done is they’ve filmed our country, which is great.”
You can watch Under Salt Marsh on Sky and NOW TV.
