Scoop star Billie Piper has described filming the "goosebumpy" scene involving Prince Andrew's infamous Newsnight interview.
The Netflix biographical drama sees Sex Education star Gillian Anderson transform into journalist Emily Maitlis, who sat down with the Duke of York for a televised chat about his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual assault of a minor.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, Piper, who plays Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, explained how it felt to watch the scene play out.
Related: First trailer for Netflix's Prince Andrew movie Scoop confirms release date
"I was just really excited to be able to stand in the room and watch Gillian and Rufus [Sewell, who plays Prince Andrew] do that," she said.
"And it felt like actually watching a play, and it was directed in such a way that we sat through it from beginning to end a number of times. There was something very goosebumpy about that, for me.
"It just felt so real, like it was actually happening and we were witnessing this moment in time that... I don't think I'll ever see an interview like that in my lifetime, maybe, I hadn't seen one like that before. It did feel that it was actually happening. It was so good. It was so believable."
Related: First look at Gillian Anderson's transformation for new Netflix movie Scoop
Piper's co-star Anderson went on to detail her experience of filming the scene, saying: "It's funny because Rufus and I had prepared separately, and we hadn't rehearsed. Then we had all the cameras, the whole setup was there, the chairs, so we were going to give it a go and try to do that 10-minute scene that it was going to be."
Directed by Philip Martin from a script by Peter Moffatt, Scoop also stars Line of Duty's Keeley Hawes as Prince Andrew's former secretary Amanda Thirsk, and Anderson's Sex Education co-star Connor Swindells plays Jae Donnelly.
The film also features Atonement's Romola Garai as Esme Wren and The Great's Charity Wakefield as Princess Beatrice.
Scoop will arrive on Netflix on April 5.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
Deputy Movies Editor, Digital Spy
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over seven years, mostly for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas.
Her work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema in the UK.
She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world, and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London.
Now based in the UK, Mireia joined Digital Spy in June 2023 as Deputy Movies Editor.
