The seismic interview: A royal scandal revisited
When Prince Andrew invited a BBC current affairs show to interview him at Buckingham Palace in 2019, neither he nor his interviewer, Emily Maitlis, could have foreseen the fallout. The interview not only led to the British royal’s public disgrace, including the loss of his titles and patronages, but it also inspired two dramatizations within five years. And it’s likely they won’t be the last.
A catastrophic interview
The interview was nothing short of seismic. It was personally catastrophic for Andrew, who found himself effectively barred from public life after it aired. He also had to pay a multi-million-dollar settlement to his accuser, Virginia Giuffre. The repercussions reverberated through the royal family, reaching all the way up to the monarch.
Michael Sheen’s deep dive into the role
Michael Sheen, who portrays Prince Andrew in Prime Video’s “A Very Royal Scandal,” has had ample time to contemplate the interview’s impact. To get into character, he watched the original interview “hundreds upon hundreds of times.” “The first thing I did when I woke up was listen to the audio of it,” Sheen reveals.
Having spent so much time with the material, Sheen believes the interview was earthshattering because “it’s so rare that someone in a position of power and privilege would allow themselves to be put in that position.” Usually, controversies involving powerful individuals are swept under the rug with money. But Andrew’s decision to voluntarily put himself in a position of accountability was unprecedented.
Ruth Wilson’s portrayal of Emily Maitlis
Opposite Sheen is Ruth Wilson, who plays Emily Maitlis. Wilson describes Maitlis as a complex character: at work, she is all business, with military-inspired suits and razor-sharp focus. However, her outwardly cool demeanor hides a frenzied personal life, balancing a busy home with two kids and a husband. The drama also touches on darker themes, revealing that Maitlis has been a victim of stalking.
Wilson, like most of Britain, watched the interview live in November 2019 and was “pretty amazed by it.” Initially, she wondered if there was anything more to say about the interview. But the result, she says, “is not just a recreation of that interview.”
A deeper dive into the scandal
Earlier this year, Netflix released “Scoop,” the first dramatization of the interview, starring Gillian Anderson as Maitlis and Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew. With the interview itself having attracted a global audience and countless memes, some viewers might wonder what “A Very Royal Scandal” can bring to the table.
For starters, it’s a three-part series that delves deeper into the events before and after the interview, much like “The Crown.” In contrast, “Scoop” is a single drama lasting just over 100 minutes. For Wilson, the appeal was screenwriter Jeremy Brock’s exploration of power, privilege, responsibility, and journalism.
Sheen felt similarly about the screenplay. While striving for a “true and faithful” portrayal of what transpired between Andrew and Maitlis, he knew there was “no point in just copying it.” He hopes the series is close enough to the original to be thrilling for the audience but also offers a deeper, more nuanced story.
Behind the scenes with Maitlis and Sheen
Wilson spent a lot of time with Maitlis in preparation for the role, even interviewing the now-legendary interviewer. “I asked her straight-up questions,” Wilson reveals. “I went straight in with, do you think he’s guilty? And her answer was, ‘Well, guilty of what, you know?’ So we had big debates. It was brilliant.”
Sheen, of course, did not have the same opportunity. Despite his portrayal of Andrew as pompous and rude, he also brings a childlike quality to the character. Sheen is a master impressionist, having portrayed a succession of public figures with accuracy and humanity. This skill is evident in his portrayal of Andrew, raising the question of whether he felt any sympathy for the prince’s fall from grace.
“No,” Sheen says without hesitation. “I don’t feel sympathy for any of the characters because that’s not my job. That’s a judgment. I don’t make judgments on a character. Empathy is a very different thing.”
The power of drama
“Drama, I think, is dependent on challenging the audience at times, particularly with characters that they may go into having quite strong preconceived ideas about,” Sheen continues. “Challenging them to allow themselves to see things from that character’s point of view, regardless of whether they agree with them or have sympathy or anything else, but to kind of go, ‘Oh, that’s what it’s maybe like. Wow. I didn’t realize that. Now my understanding of this situation is maybe different from how it was before.’”
For those interested in diving deeper into this royal scandal, you can watch the trailer for A Very Royal Scandal and explore more about the series.
This article aims to provide a comprehensive and engaging look at the dramatizations of Prince Andrew’s infamous interview, offering insights and reflections for cinema and TV series enthusiasts.