A Very Royal Scandal’s Michael Sheen reveals ‘incredibly intense’ experience of portraying Prince Andrew

Virgin Radio

13 Sep 2024, 10:23

A new series based around Emily Maitlis’ infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew is coming to Prime Video this month. 

A Very Royal Scandal will see Good Omens star Michael Sheen play Prince Andrew, Duke of York, while Luther and The Woman in the Wall’s Ruth Wilson will portray Maitlis. The three-part series will be executive produced by the real Emily Maitlis.

The upcoming three-part series focuses on the interview that “sent shockwaves around the globe” over the “scandalous accusations he faced regarding his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre.”

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The narrative follows Maitlis and Prince Andrew in the lead-up to the interview, the event itself and the many questions left in its wake.

With the series set to land on Prime Video on 19th September, Sheen has spoken about what appealed to him about the project.  “What is exciting about it, as a script, was being able to see behind-the-scenes and look into what was going on with this man,” he said.

“So, the fact that it was based on something that was so recent and still so controversial, and partly something that I think a lot of people are trying to, you know, move on from and put away. I think it’s up for question whether that should be the case. And a part of what I found interesting about being a part of this project is that it’s a story that still needs to be out there and not just to be brushed under the carpet.” 

Speaking about filming the interview scene, the Twilight star said: “Those were incredibly intense days. I think the first four or five takes were sixteen minutes long each and for anyone who has ever worked in this business, you don’t do sixteen-minute takes of anything usually. And the intensity of focus, given that Ruth and I were both doing something that we had watched so much and had focused on so much and were now actually performing, the concentration levels and intensity levels were huge. 

He continued: “It’s an intense experience just in itself playing any character, but for me, personally, playing characters that are based on real people are a bit more intense than others and I enjoy that.”

On playing the Royal, the Frost/Nixon actor explained: “I’ve tried to stay as true to the version of Prince Andrew that I have been able to research and see. Obviously there are huge restrictions on that, because unless you can meet the person and spend time with them and get behind the public profile, it’s very hard to know what they’re really like and what’s really making them tick. 

“So, ultimately, my performance, in this and in anything that I’ve done that is a real person, is a mixture of the version of the real person that’s out there, that’s accessible through research, and then the version of that person, the character, that’s in this story and in this script. And then, the kind of thing that any actor does where, in order to make your performance credible and compelling, hopefully, you bring yourself into it as well, you try and meet the character somewhere. It’s a strange amalgam of those three things.” 

Recalling watching the actual, real-life interview, Sheen said: “My reaction to the interview when it first came out, I would imagine, was pretty much the same as everyone else. You can’t quite believe what you’ve just seen and heard, and then you question why, how did that ever get allowed to happen, like what was he thinking? 

All three episodes of A Very Royal Scandal are available on 19th September on Prime Video.