Netflix viewers have been left shocked after the streamer dropped a first look at a film inspired by Prince Andrew’s infamous Newsnight interview – with many surprised to see a couple of famous faces looking truly unrecognisable in the lead roles.
Back in 2019, journalist Emily Maitlis landed the scoop of the decade when she sat down with Prince Andrew, who discussed his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke of York used the interview opportunity to deny having sex with Virginia Giuffre, claiming he had been in Pizza Express in Woking on the day he was accused of having sex with the then-17-year-old.
But many Newsnight viewers felt the conversation did nothing to heal his tarnished public image, describing the programme as a ‘car crash’.
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Now the notorious interview is being turned into a feature-length film, Scoop, which is due to be released on Netflix this spring.
The movie is based on the book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews, written by Newsnight producer Sam McAllister, and follows ‘the inside track of the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade’.
Speaking about the project to the Telegraph, McAlister said: “It’s rare that you see a representation of women, all in their 40s and 50s.
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"This is an opportunity to see hard-working women behind the scenes at every stage.”
With Billie Piper playing McAlister, the film also stars Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis and Rufus Sewell (yep, that bloke from The Holiday) as Prince Andrew – a transformation that has left many fans understandably shocked.
It was no small feat to transform the actor into the royal; according to the Telegraph, the actor spent about three hours in the make-up chair for the gig.
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However, thankfully it seems to have paid off, with many people saying he looked just the part.
Reacting to the first look images shared by Netflix this morning, one person tweeted: “Rufus looks so good! At first glance I could have sworn that really was Andrew!”
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Someone else said: “Some impressive makeup work there. He looks just like him.”
A third wrote: “Well there goes my crush on Rufus Sewell…”
A fourth added: “This will be good can’t wait haha.”
While a release date is yet to be confirmed, Scoop is expected to drop on Netflix this spring.
Topics: TV And Film, Netflix
Jess Hardiman