‘Scoop’ star Gillian Anderson: ‘I like to do things that are scary’ | GOLD DERBY

Intro welcome back to Gold Derby I'm Christopher Rosen I'm so pleased to joined by Jillian Anderson a two-time Emmy Award winner who plays journalist Emily maess in the new Netflix film scoop about Prince Andrew's disastrous 2019 interview with BBC News night uh jilan this movie is fascinating I I absolutely loved it I read that you were somewhat initially maybe reticent to play Emily in this film and I guess what was it that convinced you to take this role and you know play this I like to do things that are scary part um I I I like to do things that are scary on the one hand but on the other hand uh given her proximity to uh me and my life and the the you know the world here in the UK it felt like it was almost too close to home um and then uh in zooming with the director and um writer as I was explaining to them why I wouldn't be taking the role they then explained to me why I needed to do it you know that you know needed to jump him with both feet and uh yeah it made sense I kind of knew it I was just you know bit darting Yeah you mentioned how Preparing for the role like obviously she's such Emily is such an incredible figure in in the UK and stuff I guess like I know I think I read another interview you did that you you like listen you're frequently listening to her podcast obviously very familiar with her work so I guess how did that like once you decide decided you were going to take the leap I guess how did that familiarity help you in terms of like prepping to play her versus like how you would actually maybe want to approach it and add your own you know stamp to the role I guess you know what I mean like trying to split that difference I guess how did you how did it kind of how did you kind of approach that I mean I I guess yes I think I have learned that it's it's always good to kind of split the difference a little bit to keep a little bit of myself in there to not try and um be so obsessed with doing it perfectly everything perfectly that that that there in lies a little a bit of freedom and spontaneity in us in a way um but by the same token I did study her you know I did study how she moved and how she you know walked Justus ated how she spoke how she held her head and all that stuff that that one does um when playing a real life character and so um I guess the balance comes on any given day um in terms of the particular scene and where those mannerisms end up um showing up the most or uh um yeah you when you play you've Wardrobe makeup obviously played like a lot of real life figures in your career does that how much does the Wardrobe and like the hair makeup help you too in terms of the transformation I guess like and how like does that free you up then to or because you know that that's all going to be there does that free you up more of as a performer yeah I I think so I think because you um can rely on that to fill in a bit of the story um you know uh someone I know joked at one point about thater and the fact that given the costumes and the bodysuit and the hair that her her profile was so quintessentially her that even if I hadn't shown up and and worked on The Voice at all it would still people would still know you know obviously and and have certain you know faith in the fact that it was her um and um and so yes those those elements always help and um and and it also helps I think when you when you're playing somebody who you know who dresses differently to you that wears you know um uh um and if you're used to seeing them in those clothes so often that it's it's easier to psychologically differentiate between me and them you know and uh so that when you're then stepping in into those clothes it it feels like you're a big leap forward in being them or then it feels suddenly more comfortable that when you're in those clothes walking like them feels like it makes more sense than if you're wearing your own clothes and you're walking like you know it's just it's all the you know so much of I think you know we end up making up at our own minds just to give us the confidence to um to keep going and to to immerse immerse myself I guess Interview recreation the film like obious said you said at the top is about uh Prince Andrew's interview with the BBC it culminates in like a recreation of that interview and it's absolutely riveting watching it's I think it's about like 10 minutes of the full interview and I guess just I wanted to talk to you a little about like how there's so it's so precise I feel like in the terms of the recreation but it does feel very like like its own thing as well and I guess like can you talk a little about like how you prep for that sequence and also like working with Rufus who's such a great partner for you here as prince Andrew I just think that you guys really nail that Dynamic of the the real interview so well here in the recreation so I guess like how did that all like come together um well I think it's funny because for a while I was saying that the interview that our version of the interview was about 10 minutes long but in fact it turns out it's more like 20 minutes um and uh and so so I I live in the UK ruus lives in Los Angeles um he was preparing in his own time in space and I Was preparing in my own time in space and we we came together really for the first time outside the initial full cast readr um uh I think it was like a day or two before we sh I can't remember it was sometime in the herir makeup trailer when Philip sat with us our director sat with us and said um you know there are a couple ways that we can go about doing this and he told us that he was going to have all of the cameras present that were actually present during the real interview so uh at those Heights and surrounding us and that those would be live cameras uh that they would have film in them and be filming at the same time as as our film cameras and um and that we could take it in pieces if we wanted um because each um each section of the interview is is split with another scene it's a cut away to people standing outside to Sam or to um back Esme back at the BBC or or other members of both teams um and so we could take it in pieces and get each piece you know done done and shot out and then move on to the next piece or we could if we felt like it we could you know try and go from beginning to end and they out those pieces and and both um ruus and I uh were pretty felt like the best way to proceed with the scene and perhaps the most exciting way was to um to all in one and so once we knew what the the final version of the interview was the film version of the interview which obviously is a condensed version of the of the real interview that then we could start working on that that was our interview and so I there's a a young woman that I work with who I asked to create MP3 and stuff for me um so I'd asked her to go through the real interview and I sent her the script so she knew what our interview was going to be and she removed the questions and answers that were in our interview and she condensed them into our interview and she did the same visually and then I also asked her to um uh sorry so she did it visually and AUD and I also asked her if she would um for all of my questions if she could put them uh on an MP3 repeated 10 times so it was EMily doing it but it was 10 times Emily before I then moved on to the next question so if I'm working on it because I'm either driving or I'm walking or whatever I'm doing that I don't have to keep rewinding backwards I just have it in my ear so I can get the Rhythm and the tone right anyway so that's how I prepared and it sounds like rofus prepared uh similarly whatever you know technique he used to doing it but we both showed up on the day on a set that we' never seen before which was a perfect Recreation of the um South drawing room Buckingham Palace and we both gasped and um and then Philip said do you want to give it a go and um so we sat in our chair and were miked up as our both with our marks and as the characters would be miked up and made sure that our legs were crossed in the right position and I had my book and my bck and all that kind of stuff and then you know and then we went for it and we and we and we got to the end and it was um it was kind of amazing it it it felt like uh you know like a piece of theater it felt like it it felt incredibly exhilarating and tense and it felt like I was hearing the stuff for the first time which I was from Rufus but at the same time I knew what was coming next it was it was a very curious situation but anyway it was a joy to to have the opportunity to do it in that way and you know thank God you know I had ruus on the other side to um to play with and he was you know as you know he was extraordinary and being able to you know what I wanted how I wanted to react to him was you know in reacting to his Perfection as prince Andrew and the RO you know and go oh my God you're perfect you're doing such a great you know and just the M you know everything mannerisms and what where he looked on the ceiling and his pauses and everything that was part of me that was like that's perfect yeah it is incredible and like you like Sam Neill you said like it does maybe it's not 10 minutes but it feel it's so riveting it feels like it's just like you're just like rap watching it you know what I mean it's like it doesn't feel like any time is passing at all when you're watching the movie because it's so so good you you mentioned there like Sam mallister is in in the room there played by Billy Piper in in this film I know Sam was at least on I think she was involved obviously I know she wor like talked to Billy a lot and I know she was I think an EP on this but did she like did you talk to her at all about Emily in that regard or not really or like how was your like what was your no I I I I met her um at the read through was when we first met and um and then I saw her on set a few times uh after that but the only time that I spoke to her was after the read through and you know I I I understand that there's you know um uh been some complexity to their relationship in the past and I I don't know some person Al at all and um you know I wanted to make sure I I didn't want to hear anything that was going to influence my playing of her in any way um not that she would have shared that stuff but it was um it was important to me that I start with a clean slate and uh um and I spoke to other people who had worked with her at news night uh her peers Etc and you know everybody was incredibly um admiring of and you know um complimentary about uh Emily and you know spoke about you know um you know what a hard worker she she is and uh and Etc and so um we uh yeah I Sam was there and I know that she was incredibly um helpful to Billy and um and would have been to me I mean she she you know was incredibly open about about all of it um and uh yeah yeah no that's great you I mean like I guess what did what I having done this now and like gone through and recreated the interview all these things like did you did you get a different perspective perhaps on this interview that like obviously such a tremendously widely seen interview in its own right now here in this film I guess like did it change or did you like did it give you a new perspective or a different kind of thought process on how it went down and anything about it yeah I mean I I I didn't pay that much attention when it first came out of course you know we're all aware of it and and I probably saw Snippets of it and um but I I certainly hadn't watched it in its entirety um and so it was only in in working on this that I properly studied it and you know obviously watched it many many many many times um but I think the thing that stands out the most again you know this is Sam's experience and and um you know her version of events no reason to believe that it's not how it was but the degree to which in the 72 hours prior to the interview that they locked themselves away and um and just basically rehearsed them went over and over and all the the eventualities and potentialities and um and uh that was new to me just in terms of Journalism and that but with a you know journalists um uh particularly um uh journalists I guess who are interviewing whether it's world leaders or people in power or whatever the degree to I don't know how often that is done obviously it's a testament to you know a degree to how important an interview it was for the BBC um and the degree to which they wanted to make sure that they didn't end up you know scaring him away by moving too fast or asking too um many touchy questions too soon or you know and Emily does she starts out very M you know she starts out softspoken and you know she's she's a feisty into interviewer she doesn't always start that slow and measured and calm when she's talking to to um uh her subject um so it was you know it's fascinating to watch what one can only imagine is you know technique you know a master class in in in in how to interview a potentially not difficult subject but you know um it was certainly uh for the BBC over here having that opportunity was so rare and one the fact that they that both the BBC you know knowing what we now know the fact that both the BBC and the royal family let it be aired also is an indication of the degree to which she needed to be careful in the process yeah yeah I mean I think it's like you said I think it's a fast the the the interview is fascinating the movie I think is really incredible and I think you could be used to show people like I think the word it's like a good like lesson for people aspiring journalis and how to approach an interview like you said with like a difficult or challenging subject I think it's just great and I think you do job yeah it's really good uh Julian Anderson we have to wrap up there but thank you so much the movie is scoop you can watch it now on Netflix thank you thank you so much