Shazad Latif has played many characters on-screen, from the eclectically dressed Clem Fandango to data analyst Tariq Masood in Spooks, to multiple characters in Star Trek: Discovery. Soon he will add to his repertoire with the character of Captain Nemo in Nautilus.

The Prime Video series tells the origins of Captain Nemo, the mysterious adventurer that appears in Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. Nautilus follows the Indian prince as he escapes from a life of slavery in the titular submarine and vows revenge against the British East India Company.

Playing Captain Nemo gave Latif the chance to do something new, he tells Yahoo UK, allowing him to be part of a show with other actors of South Asian descent. This, the actor surmises, is a rare occurrence in Hollywood, and one worth celebrating.

Sharing his thoughts on Nautilus, his career so far, and more, Latif sat down with Yahoo UK to share his Origin Story.

What first drew you to acting?

I suppose my mum and my dad. My dad was a film-roll changer in the cinemas back in the 70s, it was a good time and he always loved the movies. He came over when he was 13 from Pakistan so that was sort of his way into the culture here. My mum used to keep a diary with all of her favourite movies, she'd be like I saw Dog Day Afternoon today, Streetcar [Named Desire] and she'd just write it down, and my Nan was a big, big movie buff, always just watching the old school stuff -- Errol Flynn movies Now Voyager with Bette Davis, Wuthering Heights, all the old school ones. So that was always a good influence and I just was obsessed with them when I was very, very young.

And then my best friend's dad was Roger Lloyd-Pack, who was Trigger in Only Fools and Horses. I grew up with him, and he introduced me to Shakespeare, poetry, stage stuff and then it became something I was obsessed with. I did a play when I was young and realised it could help me get out of my circumstances, and it was just my passion, there was nothing else I could do really.

Spooks was your first major role that you left school for, how did that experience shape you as an actor?

Yeah, that was a major thing. I was in drama school and it was the end of my second year. and I wanted to carry on but obviously, if you get a job, then you couldn't really finish the thing. I'd met my agent because I auditioned for Slumdog Millionaire with Riz [Ahmed] and Dev [Patel] and it was down to the last three back in the day. I met my agent through that and I asked him to come watch a play at drama school, and he sent me as a test audience for Spooks just to be a little warm up and ended up getting the job, it was just complete fluke I think.

I never had any money, I was very poor, and suddenly I was just doing this big job for six months, and it was mad! Peter Firth and Nicola Walker took me under their wing, Richard Armitage, all of them. Watching older actors do their thing, you just learned by [working]. Peter used to stick his lines on my shoulder on the TV screen. He was such a joker, I love that guy so much, and Nicola. You just get thrown straight into the deep end, really, and really and sort of keep going.

You famously play Clem Fandango in Toast of London, and through your performance in Star Trek: Discovery you became a big fan favourite. What are your favourite memories from those two shows?

I mean, Toast is just one of those [shows]. I remember going for the read for that and why is everyone laughing, it just doesn't make sense, you know you don't really understand why, and then suddenly going to work and just watching Matt Berry do his thing. All of those actors, just watching people improvise and just me and Tim Downie [who played Danny Bear] just getting to do silly stuff. It's a dream job, really. I see it as the most fun I've had in a job.

Star Trek was lovely, 10 months into Toronto, playing three characters, playing an alien with weird prosthetics, all that kind of stuff. Getting to work with Michelle Yeoh... it's just the people you work with and the storylines and the character arcs, Star Trek was a dream role really because you got to just do such a range of stuff.

You lead Nautilus as Captain Nemo, what resonated with you about the character and made you want to take part in it?

I suppose this one is very rare, it hasn't been done like this yet. It's very rare you get the origin story of a character who's usually in the old film -- the James Mason film and all the iterations of it -- he's a mysterious character. In the book as well, you don't really know his past, he's very vague and that's sort of the thing, but in this we get to explore this very flawed, very complex character who's on a ship with ten other brown men, we rarely get shows like that.

It's just a nice thing to finally get to do, and really get to the bottom of it and it's done in a very fun way by exploring a very serious subject. It's a revenge story, really, against the British.

Captain Nemo is an iconic character from Jules Verne's novels, how did you want to make the character your own?

I knew it wasn't gonna be the way James Mason, or Patrick Stewart, or Michael Caine had played it. I suppose you just do the research, I don't really think about how I'm gonna try and make him different. I try to dive deep into the research and see what comes out naturally of whatever I do. You've got the writing, you've got the way we're telling the story and you've got the style. I leave it up to that, and then I just play whatever I have to play and I'm sure that will come through.

The series was moved from Disney+ to Prime Video, how do you hope viewers will respond to the series on its new streaming home?

There's something in the show for everyone, a family can watch it but then there's sci-fi, there's creature stuff, there's romantic drama, there's two handers, and the relationships between all the characters. So there's a lot of comedy in it, it's big spectacle... I'm very excited to see it, it's been so long, I can't wait.

You also star opposite Daisy Ridley in the new thriller Magpie, as a very unlikeable character. How would you describe your experience making the movie with her?

We did it very quickly, it was four weeks in January. Daisy and I were playing people who hate each other, when you get into that headspace, I wouldn't say it's enjoyable but it was good for the work. We spent two weeks in the house, just sort of arguing and being really nasty to each other. Daisy's married to my friend Tom Bateman and he wrote a script, and Daisy came on and they sent it over, and I was so impressed by what Tom had done.

Are there any roles you'd love to return to if you had the chance?

I'd always go back to Clem Fandango anytime, whenever Matt asked me to. I've gone back for some kind of special or [new series]. That would be one I'd always return to. I've moved on from the others, you just gotta keep moving. Other than Clem, I'd always go back cause you can. You can just sort of make up anything and jump back into it. I want to see him old in like 30 years, I wanna do the old version, it'd be funny.

Movies you loved growing up: I was a big, big movie fan. I was watching some dark, good stuff very early. I remember watching Casino when I was like 6, which I just shouldn't have been watching with my dad. Elephant Man was my first movie experience, I remember hiding under the cover for most of the movie.

First cinema trip: I remember going to see Titanic, which was just such a big thing. Romeo + Juliet, I saw that in Hampstead for some reason.

First movie to make you cry: Maybe Forrest Gump. Just that scene where he's talking to Jenny at the grave, that still gives me. [Tom Hanks is] too good in that, I remember vividly crying at that.

TV obsessions growing up: I remember the X-Men cartoon, the Batman animated series. Boy Meets World, I loved that show, Sabrina [the Teenage Witch]. Friends, obviously, Fresh Prince. Simpsons. There was a lot, it sounds like I was not really doing anything with my life when I was young. I was just watching TV and films.

Were there any mentors in your life or career you would say had a defining influence on you and who set you on your career path?

My best friend's dad and mum, Roger Lloyd-Pack and Jehane Markham. She was a poet, he was a stage actor and Trigger in Only Fools and Horses. They both introduced me to Shakespeare, poetry, things that I definitely wouldn't have been exposed to if it wasn't for them. So a lot of love for them, and they passed away sadly. And a teacher I had called Mr Mohammed, he was our basketball coach, but he inspired us in so many ways and made sure we stayed on a good path.

If you could go back in time and give young Shazad any advice to change his origin story - what would it be?

That's a tough question, I suppose I could have gone to the gym a lot earlier and not done as much partying. Just do all the right things, try and be better and as good a person along the way as you can. Work harder, work better, work smarter.