Netflix’s highly anticipated movie Scoop was released on Friday and fans are raving about the new drama, calling it “absolutely brilliant.”
However, some eagle-eyed fans were a little stunned when they saw Gillian Anderson’s ‘secret nod to The Crown’.
The 55-year-old actress has taken on the role of famed journalist Emily Maitlis in the film, which recreates the chilling 2019 interview between Emily and Prince Andrew in painstaking detail.
Gillian previously received critical acclaim for her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown.
And while her physical resemblance to the journalist in Scoop is uncanny, her voice suggested she hadn’t quite left her role as a former British Prime Minister behind.
Scoop fans were stunned to see Gillian Anderson’s ‘secret nod to The Crown’ in the new Netflix drama released Friday
Gillian’s physical resemblance to the journalist is uncanny, but her voice suggested she had not quite left her role as a former British Prime Minister behind.
Rather than sounding like the former Newsnight presenter, viewers thought she sounded very similar to her role in the royal Netflix drama.
Taking to X – formerly known as Twitter fans wrote: ‘Wow! Heard a segment on the radio this morning and thought without vision that Gillian Anderson sounded exactly like Margaret Thatcher!’
“I agree, Gillian Anderson’s voice was terrible. Really unpleasant – I could only hear Margaret Thatcher too.’; ‘PSA: Gillian Anderson does her Thatcher voice in SCOOP.’
‘Halfway and really enjoying it. Although I think Gillian Anderson keeps slipping into her Maggie T voice, which is disturbing!’; ‘Gillian Anderson’s raspy voice as Emily Maitlis sounded half-strangled.’
‘Did Gillian Anderson really use her Margaret Thatcher voice to play Emily Maitlis?’; ‘Gillian Anderson just took her Margaret Thatcher role and changed costumes? It was all old news.’
Talk TV host Julia Hartley-Brewer gave the film a scathing review as she wrote, “While the actual interview with Emily Maitlis was superb journalism, Scoop is fatally slow and ponderous. The star-studded cast is wooden and Gillian Anderson sounds more like Margaret Thatcher than Maitlis. You can see the paint drying better.’
Others wrote: ‘Gillian Anderson makes Emily Maitlis sound like her Margaret Thatcher #Scoop But no.’; ‘When I look at Scoop, with Gillian Anderson I only see Margaret Thatcher and not Emily Maitlis.’; “Oh, except Gillian Anderson’s Emily Maitlis is brilliant, but sometimes a little too much like her Margaret Thatcher.”
Gillian previously admitted she found playing the former Newsnight presenter more intimidating than her role as Thatcher.
The 55-year-old actress has taken on the role of famed journalist Emily Maitlis in the Netflix film Scoop, which recreates the chilling 2019 interview between Emily and Prince Andrew in painstaking detail.
Taking to X – formerly known as Twitter fans wrote: ‘Wow! Heard a segment on the radio this morning and thought without vision that Gillian Anderson sounded exactly like Margaret Thatcher!’
Speaking about the pressure of playing Emily, Gillian confessed: ‘It was the first time I’d played a real character who was still alive. And I have to say, playing an Emily Maitlis is more intimidating than even a Margaret Thatcher.
“People know Emily so well, they listen to her every day, they watch her, and have for years.”
Meanwhile, Gillian took to Instagram on Friday to celebrate the release of Netflix’s Scoop with a slew of behind-the-scenes photos.
She shared a glimpse from the makeup trailer, documenting co-star Rufus Sewell’s transformation into Prince Andrew.
In the pictures, Gillian stands behind the actor, 56, who has prosthetics fitted to his face to resemble the Duke of York for the film documenting his infamous BBC car crash interview.
The duo beamed for the camera before during and after the interview, with Gillian also showing off her costume and blonde wig.
The X-Files star captioned the post: ‘Just a simple week of filming (and!) scoop dropped on Netflix today!’.
In the interview, which was described as a ‘car crash’, Emily questioned the Duke about his friendship with late convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein.
Gillian took to Instagram on Friday to celebrate the release of Netflix’s Scoop with a slew of behind-the-scenes photos (pictured with co-star Rufus Sewell while covered in prosthetics to be transformed into Prince Andrew)
She shared a glimpse of the makeup trailer documenting co-star Rufus Sewell’s transformation
Rufus (left) plays The Duke Of York in the highly anticipated film
Emily discussed Virginia Giuffre’s claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17, on Epstein’s orders.
The prince strongly denied the claims during the interview.
Billie Piper stars alongside Gillian as Newsnight booker Sam, while Rufus Sewell plays Prince Andrew, and Keeley Hawes takes on the role of Prince Andrew’s private secretary Amanda Thirsk in the highly anticipated drama.
After the interview, a statement from Buckingham Palace said Prince Andrew had been suspended from public duties “for the foreseeable future.”
In May 2020, it was announced that the prince was permanently resigning from his public positions.