05 March 2024 , 23:53
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Emily Maitlis reportedly declined the opportunity to meet actor Gillian Anderson ahead of the latter's portrayal of the former newsreader in the film Scoop.
Gillian, 55, will portray journalist Emily, 53, in the upcoming film, which is set to be released through Netflix next month. It's based on the book Scoops, which was written by former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, who is credited with having secured Emily's interview with Prince Andrew, now 64, which was broadcast on the BBC show back in 2019.
Ahead of its release in the coming weeks, Gillian has spoken about the project, including sharing her initial concern over portraying Emily on-screen. Her preparations for the role have also been revealed in a newly released interview. The actor spoke to Grazia about the film and the outlet reports that Emily "declined" to meet Gillian because she's working on her own project about the interview. It went on to discuss the ways in which Gillian got into the role.
It states that Gillian "watched hours" of Newsnight footage and read the presenter's autobiography Airhead, which was released the same year as the interview. She's said to have also listened to the News Agents podcast, which Emily co-hosts with fellow journalists Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall.
Gillian Anderson, pictured in character, portrays journalist Emily Maitlis in the upcoming Netflix film Scoop, due to be released next month (PETER MOUNTAIN/NETFLIX)Discussing his initial thoughts about the film, Gillian said that "there were so many things to get wrong". She added: "Emily is so formidable and she's still alive." The actor suggested that when she raised such concerns to those behind the project, she was told "that's exactly why you should do it".
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Gillian further commented that Emily was "placed on a pedestal, to a degree" but suggested that it was "deserved". She described the former newsreader as the show's "secret weapon" and added that the interview was "bloody serious". She went on to tease that Emily was there for "one reason only" and would do "everything in her power" to ensure that the "hard questions" were asked of the late Queen's son, which "everybody else" had been "scared" to ask.
Scoop is set to be released through Netflix on April 5. The cast includes Billie Piper as producer Sam, Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew and Romola Garai as Esme Wren, who has been credited as the editor who oversaw the interview. The cast of the upcoming film also includes Amanda Redman, Charity Wakefield, Connor Swindells and Keeley Hawes.
A synopsis for it teases: "An hour of television can change everything. [Scoop is a] behind-the-scenes account of Prince Andrew's infamous Newsnight interview, revealing the story of the women who secured the scoop of the decade."