She is no stranger to playing powerful figures at pivotal moments in history, but when Gillian Anderson was offered the role of groundbreaking journalist Emily Maitlis in Netflix’s hotly anticipated new film Scoop, she turned it down.
“When I was first asked to play her, I said: ‘Absolutely not. No way,’” reveals Gillian, 55, who previously portrayed Margaret Thatcher in The Crown, Wallis Simpson in Any Human Heart and Eleanor Roosevelt in The First Lady.
“‘It’s too hard. She’s too amazing. And everybody knows her too well, so I will undoubtedly fail.’”
THE INSIDE TRACK
The film gives an intriguing inside account of how the BBC’s Newsnight programme secured a sensational exclusive interview with the Duke of York for an episode titled Prince Andrew and the Epstein Scandal, and how Emily grilled the royal over his friendship with the late convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
It was the “incredible” team behind the film – writer Peter Moffat and director Philip Martin – that ultimately won Gillian over. “It’s a fantastic take on the interview,” the Sex Education star says. “It feels very modern and fresh and propulsive.”
The exchanges between Prince Andrew and Emily in 2019 made headlines around the world and marked a defining moment for both the BBC and the Duke of York.
The weight of re-creating this bombshell moment isn’t lost on Gillian’s co-stars Rufus Sewell – who plays the Prince – and Billie Piper, portraying former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, who was key in securing the interview and wrote 2021 memoir Scoops, upon which the film is based.
Although it seemed a daunting task, Rufus couldn’t turn down the opportunity to tell “a very important story”, he says.
“From the moment I said yes to when we started filming, it was a long process of: ‘Jesus Christ, what did I just say yes to?’” says the actor, 56, who has also starred in Netflix’s The Diplomat and Christmas favourite The Holiday.
“The script was so extraordinary that I found I needed to do it. It was the story of the women who brought it about that was important, and tonally, I loved it. I just wanted to be part of it.”
DRESSING THE PART
Recalling his preparation for his role, he continues: “I didn’t really have a process. Even on my own, I would just dress up. I won’t tell you how I dress up, but what I mean is that I would put on clothes that felt like I could
