Gillian Anderson on real reason she originally didn't want Emily Maitlis Netflix role
ok.co.ukWhen Prince Andrew submitted to being interviewed by Emily Maitlis for Newsnight, it made blockbuster viewing. Now Netflix’s Scoop brings the behind-the-scenes story to life and it’s even more compelling.
Based on the book by former Newsnight editor Sam McAlister, Scoop looks at how Sam (played by Billie Piper) secured the royal chat for presenter Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson), who went on to quiz the prince on his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual assault against him by Virginia Giuffre.
Prince Andrew denied the allegations and went on to settle the civil case in the US. From the royal claiming to be in a Woking Pizza Express at the time of the alleged meeting with the then 17-year-old Virginia, to him stating that he lost the ability to sweat during the Falklands War, the interview was a catalyst for Prince Andrew’s downfall – and it’s all explored in this Netflix film. “When I watched the interview, I thought, ‘How did this happen?
How did anyone sign off on this?’” Billie says. “There’s a few things that I didn’t know about the story, which I think you’ll see when you watch it.” While the casting of Rufus Sewell – a Hollywood leading man – as Prince Andrew may come as a surprise to many, the 56 year-old admits that he “obsessively” rehearsed the disgraced royal’s mannerisms to nail the role. “I didn’t say yes until I’d worked on it on my own for a while,” he says. “I would dress up [as him] – it seemed preposterous when people would catch me doing it.
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