Michael Sheen opens up on playing Prince Andrew: "We don't know definitively what happened"

Speaking on The News Agents, Maitlis's podcast with Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall, Sheen was asked about his decision to play Prince Andrew, and he explained that his process whenever he plays a real-life figure is always the same: to figure out if the story is being told in a responsible, appropriate and trustworthy manner.

"Because once I start the process of playing the character, I have to put all my personal opinions aside, and my job is to try and make that character as real as possible," he said.

"So, when it comes to a story like this, obviously, where there's a mystery at the heart of it, we don't know. There hasn't been a legal case. We don't know definitively what happened or what didn't happen, what he did or what he didn't do.

"And of course, that's incredibly rare."

He added: "When I come to play a character, I usually know the most important things about that character. The central, most important thing about this character, I didn't know."

Asked if he made a decision about whether he believed Andrew was guilty or not, Sheen further explained that he had done so – but that he would never tell anyone what his own view was.

"When we did certain key scenes, I said, 'Right, I'm going to give you a take now which is leaning this way a bit,' and, 'I'm going to give you a take, which is leaning this way a bit now,'" he explained.

"I still knew I had to sort of change little things in my head, do a bit of mental acrobatics in my head, so I wasn't changing what I thought, but essentially what was going on for him. But I just leaned a few different ways."

Read more:

• A Very Royal Scandal confirms release date with first look at Michael Sheen and Ruth Wilson
• Scoop producers explain why it's the right time for Prince Andrew drama

Meanwhile, he said that he felt a responsibility to make his version of Prince Andrew as "rounded as possible and as human as possible" in order to give the audience the chance to see what's going on from his eyes – something he believes is "the measure of a really good drama".

"Now that's a challenge when it comes to a character like Andrew, where people do have very strong opinions," he conceded. "That is quite challenging for an audience."

Prime Video announced last month that the three-part series will be released on 19th September 2024, with a host of new images also being made available.

The official synopsis for the series reads: "One night. One hour. One interview that sent shockwaves around the globe. Based on the real-life 2019 interview between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew.

"A Very Royal Scandal follows the action of Maitlis and Prince Andrew in the lead-up to the interview, the groundbreaking event itself and the many questions left in its wake that would change their lives forever."

Alongside Sheen and Wilson, the cast for the series also includes Joanna Scanlan (Slow Horses) as Amanda Thirsk, Alex Jennings (Your Christmas or Mine?) as Sir Edward Young, Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) as Stewart Maclean, and Claire Rushbrook (Inside No. 9) as Sarah Ferguson.

A Very Royal Scandal will stream on Amazon Prime Video from 19th September 2024 – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. Plus, read our guides to the best Amazon Prime series and the best movies on Amazon Prime.

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