“I’m A Terrible Liar”: Tom Ellis Talks Swapping The Devil For The CIA And A Morally Ambiguous Professor

One of TV’s most charming leading men talks Wales, feeling close to his characters, and why he couldn’t make it as a spy.

From the titular character’s love interest in cult BBC comedy Miranda to his six-year stint as a heartthrob Mephistopheles in Netflix’s Lucifer, Welsh actor Tom Ellis has built a career on weakening knees.

The 47-year-old’s rugged good looks and leading man allure has pulled in eclectic roles of late: from a prominent showing alongside Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan in Chris Columbus’s Netflix adaptation of Richard Osman’s best-selling mystery novel, The Thursday Murder Club, to a forthcoming central performance as Agent Colin Glass in 23rd February 2026-due CIA, the latest procedural drama from Law & Order linchpin, Dick Wolf.

Elsewhere, today, 13th January 2026, Ellis is back for the third season of Hulu’s Tell Me Lies. Based on the 2018 novel by Carola Lovering, the show explores love, betrayal and ambition against the backdrop of college. Ellis joined the show’s cast for its sophomore season in 2024, returning now for its third outing as charismatic, if morally dubious, professor, Oliver.

Speaking to Man About Town, Tom Ellis reflects on his on-screen tenure, reveals the character he feels closest to, and looks ahead to his new projects.

Where does your love of acting stem from? 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a natural want to perform. My dad’s theory for that is probably the most accurate. I have a twin sister, Lucy, and when we were born, we were the heaviest twins on record in South Wales. It was at the University of Wales hospital in Cardiff, and when my mum went into labour, word had gotten around that these enormous twins were about to be born, so about 20 medical students were staring at me as I came out! The next day, we were front page news in the South Wales Echo. Dad says I came out to an audience. It’s all I’ve ever known.

You’re Welsh. What is a stereotype about Wales that is wrong? And what is one that is correct?

Well, something I hear a lot about Wales is that it rains all the time. Which is just not true. There are probably two or three weeks of the year when it doesn’t!

Honestly, though, it is one of the most beautiful countries on earth. On a summer’s day, skimming stones on the banks of the River Usk as it winds its way through the Brecon Beacons is as close to heaven as I can imagine.

You skyrocketed to fame with Lucifer. How do you reflect on the role and period of your life?

At the time, landing the role of Lucifer was the biggest gift I’d been given since I had started acting. To have an opportunity to tap into so many of my strengths and be allowed freedom to have as much fun as possible, I just relished every moment of playing him. Everyone who worked on the show really embraced that sense of fun, and it was just a magical time with brilliant people.

It didn’t have a huge impact when it first came out, but as Lucifer started to be shown internationally on various streamers and I started to do a bit more press for it, I really got a sense that we had quite a lot of fans. Little did any of us realise quite how many until we were cancelled on Fox and Twitter went bananas! They ended up saving the show and moving to Netflix, which completely changed its trajectory. Now we have millions of fans in all corners of the globe, and new people continue to watch it 5 years after we ended. It’s really incredible.

You played the devil for six seasons. What did it teach you about goodness?

The show had so much heart, and I think that’s what people really responded to. At its core, it was a redemption story, and the themes of hope, love and family were its driving force. I’ve learned that in the world we currently live in, goodness is still very appealing, it seems.

Your recent Netflix film, The Thursday Murder Club, boasted a cast full of acting legends, from Helen Mirren to Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley. How was the experience? 

My first day on set, I felt like I’d won a competition! It was a beautiful sunny day at a gorgeous location in the English countryside. I was working with all these legends, and Chris Columbus was directing me. I was pinching myself and was really nervous. My imposter syndrome went into overdrive. Thankfully, I got over that pretty quickly because all of them were just delightful to spend time with. It was my first time working in the UK for 10 years, and the feel of the set was so fun and familiar. It was a special job for sure.

What’s the most fun you’ve had on a set? Why?  

The day we shot “Another One Bites The Dust” in the musical episode of Lucifer season 5. It was on a high school (American) football field with a full marching band, and some truly brilliant choreography and the full cast was in it. No one wanted it to stop, no one wanted to leave the set. We just laughed, and we danced all day; the euphoria was palpable. I couldn’t have had more fun if I tried.

What character have you felt closest to in your career? 

I’ve certainly lived with Lucifer longer than any other character in my career, but I think the characters I’ve felt closest to have probably been when I’ve been playing a dad. I’ve spent most of my adult life as a dad, so it’s certainly the thing that I feel most connected to.

I did a limited series a few years ago for the BBC called The Secret of Crickley Hall and played the father of a family whose four-year-old son was missing, presumed dead. Some of the scenes were so harrowing to film. As a parent, I couldn’t imagine a worse feeling, and in the end, the whole job left me feeling very heavy and dark.

You’re reprising your role as Oliver in the third season of Tell Me Lies. How has your time on the show been so far?

Working on Tell Me Lies has been a privilege. Obviously, I’m biased, but Meaghan [Oppenheimer, his wife and one of the show’s writers and creators] is genuinely one of the most brilliant storytellers out there. I was really grateful that she entrusted me with such a delicate storyline. To be in something that was so tonally different and to play with such a great cast and have such nuanced material to play with was a treat. My only complaint was that it made me feel old.

If you were a teacher of something other than acting, what would it be?

If I were a teacher of something other than acting, it would be PE. In school, I was decent at a lot of different sports, but knew very early on that I wasn’t ever going to be a professional sportsman, so teaching it or coaching it was definitely in my career thoughts before I stumbled across acting at 17.

What can fans of the show expect from the upcoming season? 

The new season is so good. It’s probably the darkest yet. It will almost certainly be polarising, but I think that’s what really good TV should be. No punches were pulled, and I think the audience is going to love it.  Oliver may turn out to be the most evil character I’ve ever played, which is quite an achievement considering I’ve played the actual devil.

Your next major role comes at CBS Original, CIA. How did you become attached to the series? 

I was approached by Dick Wolf’s company early last year about the idea for CIA. Obviously, they have a hugely impressive track record in the TV world, and once we got talking about the concept and ideas for the series, I was very excited to get involved.

The series’s creator, Dick Wolf, is the visionary behind shows like Law & Order. How did his experience and expertise steer the set?

Dick Wolf was pretty hands-on in the early stages of shooting, which was pretty intimidating, as he basically is the most successful TV producer of all time. It was Dick who actually decided my character should be British after we first met.  Colin was originally American, but Dick was convinced I should use my native accent because “It’s just so damn charming”, so I asked him if they have British people in the CIA, and without missing a beat, he replied, “Doesn’t matter. It’s the perfect cover!”  I wasn’t going to question Dick Wolf’s instincts, so Colin became British.

You’re playing a CIA agent. Do you think you’d make a good spy in real life? Why or why not?

I think I’d be a terrible spy. I’m quite a big person, so I stand out in a crowd. I don’t speak any languages. I’m a terrible liar, and it’s very obvious because I have zero poker face. Basically, I’d be useless unless I was going undercover as a PE teacher in an English-speaking school.