From Brit to German, actor link brings his diverse accents to the small screen. The Irish actor who now calls Los Angeles home, recently appeared on TNT’s crime drama MAJOR CRIMES as a British villain and will next appear as a German pilot on Cameron Crowe’s Showtime series ROADIES.

Previously, Richie portrayed the ‘savior’ in three of Florence and the Machine’s music videos; guest starred as a Texas serial killer on CBS’s Criminal Minds; and appeared in the indie films, Soy Nero, The Shop, Selling Dreams and Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Fruitvale Station.

Richie Stephens recently took some time to answer a few questions:

What can you share about your role on Roadies?

RICHIE: I'm appearing in the 8th episode of Roadies as a German pilot. I'm a villain as usual. It's a flashback to the 1970's in Japan, where I have an altercation with one of the world's biggest rock bands.

Was the set as crazy as a real rock tour or is that all for show?

RICHIE: It wasn't crazy in the sense of being disorganized, but it was extremely elaborate. A huge group of people working together to come up with an impressive finished product. It ran like a well-oiled machine though and I think everyone felt like they were there being part of something special. Working with Cameron Crowe was a dream come true for me too because I have been a big fan of his work. Same thing with JJ Abrams, although I didn't get to meet him on set.

You also appeared on a very different show, Major Crimes; tell us about that one.

RICHIE: I recently did a guest star on Major Crimes, season 5 episode 6 (Tourist Trap). I play a British hitman who comes to Venice to ply his trade and cause all sorts of problems for the Major Crimes unit. It was a lot of fun to play that character, because despite being a hitman, he has a smart mouth and a philosophical view on life!

Is playing a ‘bad’ guy harder or easier than playing a ‘nice’ guy?

RICHIE: I don't think it's necessarily harder to play a bad guy. When you're acting it's pretending to be the character, and good or bad, that can be a challenge because you need to make it seem real. Understanding the character's point of view is most important and once you get that, whether they're considered "good" or "bad" is inconsequential. Like a lot of times, bad guy characters don't actually consider themselves to be bad.

That being said about playing a bad guy - booking the role of a bad guy can be different. I think that it's easier for me to book the role of a bad guy because I look like a bad guy more so than a nice guy. Nice guys tend to have a softer look.

You’ve been using a lot of different accents recently; does that help you create the character?

RICHIE: Yeah I have a lot of different accents in my arsenal. Accents / dialects are something I've always been interested in and acting allows me to use these for various characters. Usually I'm using some sort of an accent. My natural one is Irish, but I rarely play Irish roles so I don't get to use it. This past year I've played American, German, Russian and British roles so far!

What’s the biggest lesson you learned from working on these projects?

RICHIE: Every project is a new learning experience and I have met lots of new colleagues who I hope to be able to work with again.

If you could choose, do you prefer comedy or drama?

RICHIE: I like both, but would have a slight preference towards drama. Probably because I tend to book more drama than comedy! I enjoy watching both though. I have a good sense of humor in real life, despite playing a lot of menacing characters.

And, now just for fun:

Who’s your favorite actor/actress?
RICHIE: My favorite currrent actor is probably Tom Hardy. My favorite Irish one is Gabriel Byrne. Favorite actress is Kathy Bates. Favorite Irish actress is Saoirse Ronan.

What role from the past do you wish you could have played?
RICHIE: Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas because it's my favorite role in my favorite movie.

Favorite movie or TV show from your childhood.
RICHIE: When I was a kid my favorite show was MacGyver. They're remaking it at the moment and I got to audition for one of the roles, which was a trip.

Tell us one thing that would surprise our readers to learn about you.
RICHIE: I'm a lifelong Manchester United fan.

How can fans keep up with you?
RICHIE: Fans can keep up with me on link, social media @richieactor and on my personal website link