Netflix’s Scoop will explore the lead-up to one of the most notorious interviews with Britain’s royal family, and it utilizes an excellent cast to pull off these real-world figures. The 2024 movie follows individuals like Sam McAlister, Emily Maitlis, Amanda Thirsk, and, of course, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in the months before the famed 2019 interview on the BBC’s Newsnight. This history-making moment was so damning that it’s a wonder the duke ever allowed himself on the hot seat. Ultimately, it took the work of a miraculous group of women, all of whom have been brought to the screen in Scoop.
Scoop, which is directed by The Crown‘s Philip Martin, is based on the true story of how an interview booker with Newsnight managed to create an on-screen moment that no one believed would ever happen. The story of the Netflix movie is based on the personal account of this booker, Sam McAlister, with a few dramatized features thrown in for an extra kick. Like any movie based on true stories, Scoop required a talented cast of actors to embody these real public figures. Rather than playing royals of the past, Scoop is set in the recent present, making these actors’ performances all the more important.
English-born actor Billie Piper first gained fame as a singer, having released her hit debut single, “Because We Want To,” in 1998 when she was 15. From there, she released several other singles and the platinum album Hone to the B. Piper stepped into her acting career playing Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, which immediately threw her into further fame and recognition. Her other notable works include Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007 – 2011), Penny Dreadful (2014 – 2016), and the Netflix movie Collateral (2018).
Piper plays Sam McAlister in Scoop, a former TV producer and writer for Newsnight who was in charge of finding talent for the show. It was because of McAlister that Prince Andrew gave his notable interview on Newsnight, leading the real-life character to write the autobiography Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interview, which inspired Netflix’s 2024 movie.
Gillian Anderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, but was raised between London and Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is best known for playing FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the TV series X-Files (1998). Anderson’s notable roles include Lily Bart in The House of Mirth (2000), Stell Gibson in the crime drama TV series The Fall, and Jean Milburn in Netflix’s Sex Education. The actor also previously worked with Scoop director Philip Martin when she played Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Crown.
In Scoop, Anderson plays famed British journalist and former BBC newsreader Emily Maitlis. She anchored on Newsnight until 2021 and famously interviewed Prince Andrew about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in November 2019.
London-born actor Keeley Hawes began her acting career in 1998, starring in the movie adaptation of Our Mutual Friend. She broke big playing Zoe Reynolds in the BBC series Spooks, which ran from 2002 to 2004, and this fame was taken further in the following years when she took on the role of Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes (2008 – 2010). Other notable projects from Hawes include Upstairs, Downstairs (2010), The Missing (2016), and the 2023 science fiction thriller Orphan Black: Echoes.
Hawes’s character in Scoop, Amanda Thirsk, was the personal secretary to Prince Andrew and an employee of Buckingham Palace from 2004 to 2020. She was greatly responsible for organizing the Duke’s 2019 interview with McAlister, which ultimately resulted in Thirsk’s termination in the aftermath of the disastrous event.
Born in Hong Kong to British parents, Romola Garai is an actor and director who is known for her work in period dramas. She came to fame when she starred in 2003’s I Capture the Castle and 2004’s Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, but it was costume dramas like Vanity Fair (2004), As You Like It (2006), Atonement (2007), and Suffragette (2015) that have made the most significant mark on her career. Garai’s most widely known role is Emma Woodhouse in the BBC series Emma.
In Netflix’s Scoop, Garai plays BBC Newsnight editor Esme Wren, who held the position for four years until she left in 2021. Thanks to Wren, Newsnight had an all-female team, which is a significant factor in the 2024 movie. Currently, Garai’s character is the editor at Channel 4 News.
British actor Rufus Sewell grew to prominence in the 1990s when he began starring in movies like Carrington (1995), Hamlet (1996), Dangerous Beauty (1998), and Dark City(1998). Sewell developed a reputation for playing spectacular villains, such as in 2001’s A Knights Tale, in which he played Count Adhemar, and 2005’s The Legend of Zorro, where he played Count Armand. More recently, the Scoops actor has appeared in projects like The Father (2020) and The Diplomat (2023).
Sewell plays Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in Scoop, the very man whose disastrous 2019 interview inspired the Netflix movie. Prince Andrew is the third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who fostered a close friendship with financier and sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. The duke hoped that his interview with Newsnight would put the allegations regarding his involvement with Epstein to rest. However, as Scoop is sure to reveal, Prince Andrew’s situation only worsened.
Connor Swindells as Jae Donnelly – English actor Connor Swindells plays Jae Donnelly in Scoop, the real-world photographer who captured the image of Prince Andrew and Epstein walking together in Central Park. Swindells is best known for Sex Education (2019), Rogue Heroes (2022), and Barbie (2023).
Charity Wakefield as Princess Beatrice – England-born actor Charity Wakefield is best known for her roles in Sense & Sensibility (2008), The Player (2015), and Wolf Hall (2015). She plays Princess Beatrice in Scoop, the daughter of Prince Andrew.
Lia Williams as Fran Unsworth – Lia Williams, born in England, is an actor known for her roles in The Foreigner (2017), Archive (2020), and Living (2020). She plays Fran Unsworth in Netflix’s Scoop, who, at the time of Prince Andrew’s interview, was the BBC’s director of news.