Prince Andrew Is a Chillingly Good Villain in Epstein Interview Drama
In November 2019, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and his team had a problem that would not go away. After a photo of Prince Andrew alongside convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released about a decade earlier, allegations of sex abuse from Epstein survivors and rumors of lecherous behavior followed the Duke for years. When Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and private island home were raided in fall 2019, Prince Andrew’s association with Epstein and his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, could no longer be outrun. The Duke had exhausted his options, and if he were to ever fulfill any of his public-facing duties again, he had to first face that very audience.
Scoop, premiering April 5 on Netflix, bores into the timeline leading up to Prince Andrew’s November 16, 2019 interview on the BBC’s Newsnight program, in which journalist Emily Maitlis held the Duke’s loafers to the fire for the first time. Though the events of this fictionalized retelling are recent, those living outside of the U.K. may be entirely unfamiliar with the now-infamous interview. But whether you’re intimately knowledgeable of this moment in royal history or completely unaware of its importance and impact, Scoop is still a treat to watch unfold.
The film’s proceedings are made no less fascinating by their cultural pertinence, thanks to a taut script from screenwriters Geoff Bussetil and Peter Moffat that trims any unnecessary fat from the story. Sleek direction and a cast of skilled performers help on that front too, keeping the movie briskly paced without rushing through all of the detail necessary to disturb, enrage, and excite viewers. Fans of journalism movies with a few more stakes may find Scoop to be light on drama, but its execution is no less riveting. The film is lithe and understated, getting to the point without making an insistent spectacle of itself—exactly what journalism is all about.