Zain Iqbal on A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Season 2, Ravi Singh and Life After the Netflix Hit

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As A Good Girl's Guide to Murder returns for a highly anticipated second season, the actor behind fan favourite Ravi Singh discusses vulnerability, ambition and why the work remains the only thing that matters.

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Shot on location at Cicoria at the Royal Opera House

Success arrived quickly for Zain Iqbal.

When A Good Girl's Guide to Murder debuted in summer 2024, the adaptation of Holly Jackson's bestselling young adult novel became an immediate hit. It topped Netflix's Global Top 10 English-language television chart, propelled the source material back to the summit of bestseller lists and introduced a worldwide audience to a cast of emerging young talent. Among them was Iqbal, whose portrayal of Ravi Singh became one of the show's most celebrated performances.

The appeal was obvious. Ravi was warm without being sentimental, charming without becoming caricatured, and served as an emotional counterweight to the relentless mystery driving the series forward. Readers already knew the character intimately from Jackson's novels; viewers quickly followed suit.

Now, as Netflix launches the second season, adapting Good Girl, Bad Blood, both the series and its young star return carrying significantly higher expectations. Iqbal, however, appears largely unmoved by them.

"Of course you're conscious of it," he says of stepping into a role that already had a devoted literary fanbase. "Once you book the role, you start looking into things and it naturally gets into your mind. But for me, the main thing is focusing on the work and doing the work. I don't look into it too much. I just make sure I've done what I need to do to deliver the character as best I can."

That pragmatism surfaces repeatedly throughout our conversation. While many actors speak about audience reaction as a motivating force, Iqbal remains notably focused on process rather than outcome.

"I don't really look outside for approval because, for me, you've already lost if that's what you're chasing."

It is perhaps this mindset that has allowed him to navigate the sudden visibility that comes with a global streaming success. While A Good Girl's Guide to Murder has become one of the streamers biggest recent dramas and a growing international franchise for Netflix, Iqbal's attention remains fixed on the fundamentals of performance.

Season two presents a markedly different version of Ravi. The character audiences first encountered was carrying significant emotional baggage, still processing the aftermath of the events that had defined his family and reputation. This time, viewers will meet someone beginning to emerge from that shadow.

"In season one, you've got a closed-off character who's going through a lot and has gone through a lot," Iqbal explains. "He's very much in his shell. In season two, you really see him open up. You see him out in the world, living life. It's a complete contrast."

That evolution is central to the new season. As another mystery engulfs the small town of Little Kilton, Ravi once again finds himself alongside amateur investigator Pip Fitz-Amobi, played by Emma Myers. But where season one often positioned Pip as Ravi's emotional support, the balance begins to shift.

"You also see much more of his softer and more intimate side, especially in his relationship with Pip," says Iqbal. "I think you see him being more supportive and more present for her. In season one, Pip was often the one there for Ravi. This time, there's a bit of a shift in that dynamic."

The relationship remains one of the show's strongest assets and one of the reasons Ravi has become such a favourite among readers and viewers alike. "Their relationship is fundamental to both characters," he says. "The challenges they go through — there's a lot they deal with across both seasons, and even more in season two — ultimately make them stronger. It builds trust between them and deepens their connection."

Yet beneath the romance and mystery lies something more interesting about Iqbal's approach to the role. Rather than viewing Ravi as a straightforward "good guy", he has actively sought greater complexity within the character.

"There was a lot of back and forth," he says of discussions with writers and producers about Ravi's development. "I felt there should be more dimensions to Ravi and that he should feel more like a real person."

The challenge, he suggests, lies in translating a beloved literary figure into a believable screen presence. "In the books, he's often very happy and positive, apart from the difficult things he's gone through. But when you bring a character to screen, I think there need to be more layers. Just because someone's a good person doesn't mean they can't make mistakes or show different sides of themselves. Everybody has different angles to them."

It's an observation that reveals something about Iqbal's instincts as an actor. He appears less interested in preserving an idealised version of a character than in finding the contradictions that make them recognisably human. That approach extends to his performance process more broadly. Asked how he balances the series' competing demands — mystery, suspense, drama and romance — he offers an answer that is strikingly simple.

"I just go scene by scene. Every scene is different, so you focus on what's happening in that moment and play truthfully to it. Then it all adds up."

Equally important, he says, is collaboration. "A big part of it is also working with the other actor. You're constantly reacting and responding to each other, and that helps make every scene feel real."

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There are moments within Ravi's story that have tested him. Chief among them is the vulnerability the role requires. "Showing certain levels of vulnerability was a challenge," he says. "There are scenes, particularly in season one, where Ravi shares his feelings in a way that I don't think men often do."

It is telling that he identifies openness, rather than the technical demands of performance, as the more difficult task. Yet it is also what made Ravi stand apart from many contemporary young male characters.

"That was challenging, but it was a good challenge because I think men should be more open in that way."

The result is a character whose emotional intelligence has resonated with audiences far beyond the show's core young adult readership. Iqbal believes the wider success of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder stems partly from its willingness to engage with serious themes beneath its thriller framework.

"It's a very gripping show," he says. "At its centre is a young girl investigating a really compelling mystery, and that's immediately engaging. It also touches on important issues such as race, sexual abuse and drugs. Those are important topics for young people to see explored."

For an actor whose screen career remains relatively young, the trajectory has already been impressive. Alongside A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Iqbal has appeared in independent projects including All Crazy Random and the short film Why ME? Yet despite working across vastly different scales of production, his ambitions remain refreshingly uncomplicated.

"I think I just want to be challenged," he says. "I like doing something new all the time. I like being kept on my toes and pushed outside of my comfort zone."

That answer may ultimately explain why Ravi Singh has resonated so strongly. The character's evolution from season one to season two mirrors, in many ways, the qualities Iqbal appears to value in his own work: growth, complexity and a willingness to step beyond familiar territory.

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As A Good Girl's Guide to Murder continues its ascent from bestselling novel to global television phenomenon, Iqbal finds himself occupying an increasingly prominent place within its success. Yet there is little sense that he views this moment as an arrival. Instead, it feels more like a beginning.

For now, the focus remains where it has always been: on the work itself. The acclaim, the fanbase and the global audience are all welcome by-products. The challenge of becoming a better actor is the thing that continues to drive him. And if season two is any indication, Zain Iqbal is only starting to discover how far that journey can take him.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is streaming on Netflix now.

EXCLUSIVE: Zain Iqbal Is Just Getting Started