How the cast of 'Scoop,' Netflix's Prince Andrew drama, compare to the real-life people they play

Rufus Sewell is best known for films including "The Holiday" and "Old," as well as Amazon's "The Marvelous Ms. Maisel."

During a Netflix event in London that Business Insider attended, Sewell said he prepared for the role by watching old footage of Andrew to get a better understanding of his life outside the controversy.

"I watched a lot of footage of him when he was younger and him at his best, you know, because one of the temptations is to avoid anything that seems to show the good lights or, you know... it's quite a responsibility," Sewell said.

Like most working members of the British royal family, Prince Andrew used to receive an income from the Sovereign Grant — which the UK government gives them. In 2019 it totaled £82.2 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

He was also given some money from the Duchy of Lancaster, which is a collection of properties owned by the family that generates money.

Buckingham Palace stopped providing financial data about specific royals in 2010, but The Guardian estimated in 2023 that Andrew had received around £12.9 million from the Duchy over a 40-year period. However, it's not known whether those payments have continued since he stepped down from his duties in 2019.

Amanda Thirsk was Prince Andrew's private secretary from 2004 to 2020, and she's played by "It's a Sin" star Keeley Hawes.

Thirsk was a key figure in landing the interview, as Hawes explained in the film's press notes: "The wheels start turning and Amanda Thirsk thinks that this could be a really good idea in terms of PR for Prince Andrew. I think her intentions were very good and honest."

Two months after the interview aired, Thirsk agreed to step down as the prince's aide and reached a settlement with the palace which Sky News reported was worth tens of thousands of pounds, citing anonymous sources.

Esme Wren was the editor of "Newsnight," and she's played by Romola Garai in the Netflix film.

Wren joined "Newsnight" in 2018 after working for Sky News. She worked at the BBC for three years before leaving to become the editor of Channel 4 News in 2021.

"Doctor Who" star Billie Piper plays Sam McAlister, the "Newsnight" producer behind the interview with Andrew.

The film details how McAlister negotiated with the palace for a year to get the interview, which was originally going to focus on Andrew's charity work, but pivoted following his arrest in July 2019.

At the London Netflix event, McAlister praised the film for adding new dimensions to the interview. She said: "There were definitely perspectives that you hadn't had before."

The film is taken from McAlister's book, "Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews," which she wrote after the interview with Prince Andrew.

"The X-Files" star Gillian Anderson played journalist Emily Maitlis, the journalist who interviewed the prince on camera.

Maitlis had the job of grilling Andrew about his friendship with Epstein, and she pushed him to respond to the allegations from Virginia Roberts Giuffre that the he paid her for sex when she was 17 years old.

The journalist told Deadline that she tried not to get too involved with "Scoop," although she is an executive producer on the film.

"I've left them very much to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges offering my [views]," she said.

Andrew's eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, also appears in the film and is present during one of the meetings with the "Newsnight" team before the interview.

Beatrice is played by Charity Wakefield, who was Georgina Dymova in "The Great," opposite Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult.

McAlister told USA Today that Beatrice really did take part in that meeting, saying: "I don't recollect exactly what she said, but it was absolutely pivotal to have her in the room."