The Netflix dramatisation of the BBC’s Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew dropped on the streaming service today, with Gillian Anderson portraying Emily Maitlis – yet the BBC reporter has largely kept her silence.
Maitlis sat opposite the Duke of York during the 2019 exchange which later won her plaudits and prizes for her sharp and methodical line of questioning.
There has been a lot of hype surrounding the Netflix film which is now in competition with Maitlis’ own version of the story – authoring a book for Amazon.
Now, Matilis has finally broken her silence about the film and noted that she stayed clear of giving any information towards their research.
She told Deadline: “I’ve left them very much to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges offering my [views].
“It says it’s based on a fictional account, so I think it goes into different places and it does different things [to the Amazon series].”
Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell portray Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew
NETFLIX
It has been reported that Maitlis and Sam McAlister have differing recollections about how the interview was secured – leaving the phrase “fictional account” to have raised eyebrows.
Maitlis later clarified through a spokesperson that she was describing Scopp as a “dramatization” with the Netflix disclaimer noting: “This film is based on real events – however certain elements have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.”
She also told the publication that she had not yet watched the film but would “get around to it” and was “excited” about seeing how the story unfolds.
The former Newsnight presenter also admitted she felt weird seeing images of Gillian Anderson playing her and noted there was something “strange but brilliant” about it.
The film explores how Newsnight secured Prince Andrew for the interview
NETFLIX
Maitlis stayed so far away from the series that she didn’t meet with Anderson to help her note the idiosyncrasies or mannerisms.
Discussing how she studied Maitlis, Anderson recalled: “There were so many things to get wrong. Emily is so formidable and she’s still alive. When I told them my fears, they said, ‘That’s exactly why you should do it’.”
She added that she thought Maitlis was “placed on a pedestal, to a degree. A pedestal I think she deserved to be placed on.
“And you get a sense of that from how they talk about her. She’s their secret weapon, right? That interview is a bloody series. Emily is there for one reason and one reason only.
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Emily Maitlis spoke on the Netflix film
BBC/NETFLIX
“She is going to do everything in her power to make sure the hard questions are asked…. The questions everybody else has been scared to ask.”
Scoop is available to stream now on Netflix.