Cary Grant wouldn't like Archie being 'public about his feelings', says ex-wife

But notoriously, as fans of Grant will know, the actor kept his private life very private – meaning that Archie digs into areas that many will not be familiar with.

The series will delve into his childhood as Archibald Alexander Leach, his troubled upbringing and how the deceitful lie concealed about his mother's true whereabouts went on to shape him.

The story is a sad one, as young Archie was told his mother had died - when, actually, she had been placed in a mental health institution by his father, and not told about the fact until he was an adult.

Serving as one of the executive producers on the drama alongside the daughter she shared with Cary, Dyan Cannon spoke to RadioTimes.com and other press about the show, and whether her ex-husband would like Archie.

She admitted: "I don’t think he’d like it – it’s much too public about his feelings.

"He was far more private, he didn’t give out a lot, and when he did… the only things he wrote about with great abandon was the LSD. He wrote that for Ladies' Home Journal, can you imagine?"

She added: "Don’t try and figure him out, because it does not make sense. You cannot make sense out of nonsense, so I don’t think he’d like that."

The series charts Grant's budding relationship with Cannon, who was 33 years his junior and repeatedly turned down Grant's charms.

Eventually, the pair wed in 1965 and had a daughter, Jennifer, who is Grant's only child.

Starring as Grant in the show is Jason Isaacs, who initially didn't have the warmest reaction to news that he was in line the part, he revealed when speaking to Radio Times magazine.

He said: "When I was offered the role, I thought I ought to run a million miles in the other direction. Cary Grant was dazzlingly suave, a lady-killer and beloved by the entire world.

"Then I read the script and realised this was about Archie Leach, not Cary Grant. It’s about a damaged man, who created an avatar so people couldn’t see how damaged he was."

Read more:

• Archie star Jason Isaacs: 'This is about Archie Leach, not Cary Grant'
• Jason Isaacs transforms into Cary Grant in first look at ITVX's Archie

Isaacs also said: "He was one of the most famous people in the world. He played the perfect man, leading the perfect life. Many of us see people with lives that seem perfect, but none of them are. In almost any life, you can compare and despair."

As well as Isaacs in the title role, the cast also features Dainton Anderson (Patrick Melrose), Calam Lynch (Bridgerton) and Oaklee Pendergast (Home) as younger versions of Grant, while Laura Aikman (Gavin & Stacey) stars as Cannon, and Harriet Walter (Succession) and Kara Tointon (Mr Selfridge) play Grant's mother, Elsie.

Archie premieres on 23rd November on ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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