Warning: Major spoilers for Anatomy of a Scandal ahead.
“Mom? It’s Holly.”
With those three words in the final seconds of Episode 4, two seemingly unrelated narrative threads of Anatomy of a Scandal violently merge: Steely prosecutor Kate Woodcroft (Michelle Dockery) is actually a grown-up Holly Berry, the Oxford student whom James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend) sexually assaulted decades ago. It’s a revealing moment, in particular, for Sophie Whitehouse (Sienna Miller) — Holly’s first-year tutorial partner and James’ wife — who has yet to put these two pieces together but will eventually have to confront the difficult question she’s avoided for years: “Who is this man that I married, and what have I become?”
If you’re still in shock, you’re not alone.“I did not see that coming,” Miller tells Tudum about initially reading through that scene, saying that she “immediately” read the next script. “I realized at...
“Mom? It’s Holly.”
With those three words in the final seconds of Episode 4, two seemingly unrelated narrative threads of Anatomy of a Scandal violently merge: Steely prosecutor Kate Woodcroft (Michelle Dockery) is actually a grown-up Holly Berry, the Oxford student whom James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend) sexually assaulted decades ago. It’s a revealing moment, in particular, for Sophie Whitehouse (Sienna Miller) — Holly’s first-year tutorial partner and James’ wife — who has yet to put these two pieces together but will eventually have to confront the difficult question she’s avoided for years: “Who is this man that I married, and what have I become?”
If you’re still in shock, you’re not alone.“I did not see that coming,” Miller tells Tudum about initially reading through that scene, saying that she “immediately” read the next script. “I realized at...
- 5/14/2024
- by Anne Cohen
- Tudum - Netflix
Much of the conversation surrounding this year’s Best Limited Series Emmy race is focused on Netflix, partly because it produced the most recent winner in the category (“The Queen’s Gambit”), but also thanks to its robust slate of one-off shows that aired during the 2021-2022 season. Among these is “Anatomy of a Scandal,” a legal thriller centered on an effort to hold a British politician accountable for his abhorrent actions. Showrunner/executive producer/writer Melissa James Gibson and cast members Michelle Dockery, Rupert Friend, Sienna Miller, Naomi Scott and Josette Simon recently sat down with Edith Bowman for a 2022 Emmys FYC panel during which they expounded on the importance of the show. Watch the video Q&a above.
Gibson, who wrote or co-wrote all six of this series’ episodes, acknowledged “all the excellent raw materials and elements” provided in the 2018 Sarah Vaughan novel on which it is based. Having...
Gibson, who wrote or co-wrote all six of this series’ episodes, acknowledged “all the excellent raw materials and elements” provided in the 2018 Sarah Vaughan novel on which it is based. Having...
- 6/15/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
“We’re much more involved in subliminally telling the story of a drama,” argues Melanie Allen about her role as a production designer on Netflix’s “Anatomy of a Scandal.” Based on the popular novel by Sarah Vaughan, the limited series tells the story of Sophie and James Whitehouse (Sienna Miller and Rupert Friend), an upper class couple who have everything they want. Their marriage is thrown into turmoil after James, a rising star in British politics, is accused of sexual assault. In our exclusive video interview (watch above), Allen describes creating the world of an upper class couple and the challenge of bringing a page-turner to the screen.
Allen describes the Whitehouse home as one of the more challenging sets to create. The designer says that it was important for the space to have a majestic quality to reflect the upper class couple’s wealth and power. “They were the golden couple,...
Allen describes the Whitehouse home as one of the more challenging sets to create. The designer says that it was important for the space to have a majestic quality to reflect the upper class couple’s wealth and power. “They were the golden couple,...
- 6/14/2022
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
“I’m a big fan of pushing into the fear and the distaste in an area of life and seeing how to explore it,” declares Rupert Friend about the the experience of playing James Whitehouse on “Anatomy of a Scandal.” The Netflix limited series follows James’s wife Sophie (Sienna Miller) as she learns that her politician husband has been having an affair and is later accused of rape. In our exclusive video interview (watch above) the Emmy-nominated actor discusses the challenges of playing a despicable character and what the show says about entitlement and introspection.
Friend has no problem admitting his hatred for James. “I really found him kind of loathsome,” he admits. However, the actor argues that his job was to understand the character rather than judge him. “Does this guy think he’s loathsome? Probably not,” he says. “Does this guy think he’s done anything wrong ever in his life?...
Friend has no problem admitting his hatred for James. “I really found him kind of loathsome,” he admits. However, the actor argues that his job was to understand the character rather than judge him. “Does this guy think he’s loathsome? Probably not,” he says. “Does this guy think he’s done anything wrong ever in his life?...
- 6/9/2022
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
In Netflix’s “Anatomy of a Scandal,” Sienna Miller plays Sophie Whitehouse, a woman who sees her world fall away once her husband, Parliament Minister James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend), is publicly accused of assault. The legal case that threatens to destroy the couple’s reputations and lives also reveals the true aspects of their marriage and the privilege that has wrapped around them.
For Miller, there were some things she could relate to, having been in the public eye and faced her own intrusion by the U.K. press during the Murdoch newspaper phone hacking scandal. But there are also some similarities to her last major TV project, 2019’s “The Loudest Voice,” in which she played Beth Ailes, the wife of Fox news leader Roger Ailes.
“I’m interested in the political system in England and how privilege is sort of rewarded,” she says. “If you get that leg up in life,...
For Miller, there were some things she could relate to, having been in the public eye and faced her own intrusion by the U.K. press during the Murdoch newspaper phone hacking scandal. But there are also some similarities to her last major TV project, 2019’s “The Loudest Voice,” in which she played Beth Ailes, the wife of Fox news leader Roger Ailes.
“I’m interested in the political system in England and how privilege is sort of rewarded,” she says. “If you get that leg up in life,...
- 5/6/2022
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Warning: Spoilers ahead! Anatomy of a Scandal's finale saw Kate Woodcroft and Sophie Whitehouse get closure, but what about Olivia Lytton? The political aide's accusations against her former lover, James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend), are what set in motion the court case at the center of the series. But viewers didn't see Olivia's reaction to James' acquittal. Audiences were merely left with Sophie (Sienna Miller) turning against her husband and giving Kate (Michelle Dockery) the evidence she needed to put James behind bars for a different crime. Naomi Scott, who plays Olivia, wasn't disappointed by the ending though, telling E! News that she thought it was...
- 4/18/2022
- E! Online
Warning: contains major spoilers for the Anatomy of a Scandal finale.
Legal drama Anatomy of a Scandal is less an exploration of consent than of a personality that assumes consent is a given because why wouldn’t it be when everything else – wealth, looks, status – always has been; a personality who assumes that if there ever is doubt, they’ll receive the benefit of it, because it was ever thus. It’s about the lack of accountability fostered in a class of men raised to believe that having the world at their feet was both their well-earned prize and the natural order. Given the current UK political headlines, that makes it a very timely release. Though this six-part courtroom series centres on a rape trial, it’s far flimsier on sexual assault than it is on its true subject: entitlement.
That much is made clear by the drama’s treatment of character Olivia Lytton,...
Legal drama Anatomy of a Scandal is less an exploration of consent than of a personality that assumes consent is a given because why wouldn’t it be when everything else – wealth, looks, status – always has been; a personality who assumes that if there ever is doubt, they’ll receive the benefit of it, because it was ever thus. It’s about the lack of accountability fostered in a class of men raised to believe that having the world at their feet was both their well-earned prize and the natural order. Given the current UK political headlines, that makes it a very timely release. Though this six-part courtroom series centres on a rape trial, it’s far flimsier on sexual assault than it is on its true subject: entitlement.
That much is made clear by the drama’s treatment of character Olivia Lytton,...
- 4/16/2022
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Life is going exactly as planned for posh, pedigreed London politician and married father of two James Whitehouse. Then, shockingly, he’s accused of raping a young aide (Naomi Scott) with whom he had an affair. The alleged crime, and its ripple effects, play out in this twisty thriller, developed by hitmaker David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies) and based on Sarah Vaughan’s bestselling 2018 novel, Anatomy of a Scandal. Whitehouse and his wife, stay-at-home-mom Sophie, first scoff at the idea that the accusation will stick to the Oxford-educated golden boy and close friend of the prime minister. “James grew up with enormous privilege and has gotten pretty much everything he ever wanted,” says Friend, who modeled the character after an amalgam of politicians. But savvy, devoted prosecutor Kate Woodcroft is positively convinced of the man’s guilt. “James and Kate have a ...
- 4/15/2022
- TV Insider
Image Source: YouTube user Netflix
Netflix's latest thriller series takes a look into the messy, complicated world of politics and the privilege that comes with political power when a scandal arises. "Anatomy of a Scandal" is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan and comes from the creators of the acclaimed series "Big Little Lies."
The six-part series centers on James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend), a member of the British Parliament who often engages in extramarital affairs. One affair in particular, with a woman on his staff, comes back to haunt him as news of the scandal breaks and the woman accuses James of rape. Amid the falling out of the scandal, James's wife, Sophie (Sienna Miller), is thrust into a media frenzy and her husband's criminal trial. As Sophie attempts to search for the truth and clear her husband's name, she finds herself questioning everything.
Netflix's latest thriller series takes a look into the messy, complicated world of politics and the privilege that comes with political power when a scandal arises. "Anatomy of a Scandal" is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan and comes from the creators of the acclaimed series "Big Little Lies."
The six-part series centers on James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend), a member of the British Parliament who often engages in extramarital affairs. One affair in particular, with a woman on his staff, comes back to haunt him as news of the scandal breaks and the woman accuses James of rape. Amid the falling out of the scandal, James's wife, Sophie (Sienna Miller), is thrust into a media frenzy and her husband's criminal trial. As Sophie attempts to search for the truth and clear her husband's name, she finds herself questioning everything.
- 4/14/2022
- by Alicia Geigel
- Popsugar.com
At a time when Britain is fueled by political corruption, privilege and heinous sex scandals, the latest Netflix series ‘Anatomy of a Scandal’ couldn’t be any more relevant.
Adapted from Sarah Vaughan’s best selling novel, the series is a psychological thriller and gripping courtroom drama, the series infiltrates Britain’s elite through personal and political scandal, where the truth lies between justice and privilege. James and Sophie Whitehouse lives in a blissful and rarified world. A Minister in Parliament, a loving family at home,
James’ trajectory appears without limits. Until a scandalous secret suddenly comes to light.
Barrister Kate Woodcroft has a trajectory of her own, and her prosecution threatens to tear into Westminster, the Whitehouse marriage, and her own personal esteem.
Premiering on the streamer from the 15th of April, the 6-episode limited series is led by the exceptional talents of Sienna Miller as Sophie Whitehouse Oxford graduate,...
Adapted from Sarah Vaughan’s best selling novel, the series is a psychological thriller and gripping courtroom drama, the series infiltrates Britain’s elite through personal and political scandal, where the truth lies between justice and privilege. James and Sophie Whitehouse lives in a blissful and rarified world. A Minister in Parliament, a loving family at home,
James’ trajectory appears without limits. Until a scandalous secret suddenly comes to light.
Barrister Kate Woodcroft has a trajectory of her own, and her prosecution threatens to tear into Westminster, the Whitehouse marriage, and her own personal esteem.
Premiering on the streamer from the 15th of April, the 6-episode limited series is led by the exceptional talents of Sienna Miller as Sophie Whitehouse Oxford graduate,...
- 4/13/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
There’s a brutally silly device at work in “Anatomy of a Scandal,” Netflix’s new London-set limited series. At key moments, often the end of an episode, one character or another will become suddenly destablized, a process depicted by them flying backwards in the air or falling down. This sudden shift, we’re meant to understand, is a bit of extreme visual metaphor for what it feels like to be in the midst of upheaval.
That this ends up creating the sense that director S.J. Clarkson didn’t trust her actors to sell the show’s big moments through performance alone may be, from Netflix’s perspective, a small price to pay for extremity. “Anatomy of a Scandal,” which stars Rupert Friend and Sienna Miller as a couple caught up in a political and sexual maelstrom, takes big swings, few of which connect. Despite able performers and potent themes,...
That this ends up creating the sense that director S.J. Clarkson didn’t trust her actors to sell the show’s big moments through performance alone may be, from Netflix’s perspective, a small price to pay for extremity. “Anatomy of a Scandal,” which stars Rupert Friend and Sienna Miller as a couple caught up in a political and sexual maelstrom, takes big swings, few of which connect. Despite able performers and potent themes,...
- 4/13/2022
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
With the creators of “Big Little Lies” and “House of Cards” at the helm, “Anatomy of a Scandal” should have been an absolute slam dunk. The Netflix limited series, developed by David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson, had the potential to be part thriller, part courtroom drama, and full (as the title would suggest) of scandal. Instead, it’s a soap opera burdened by clunky handling of sensitive subject matter.
We begin our story in London, with happily married couple Sophie and James Whitehouse (Sienna Miller and Rupert Friend). James is a member of parliament and a close friend to Prime Minister Tom Southern (Geoffrey Streatfield), while Sophie supports him and cares for their two children. Their lives appear perfect until news breaks of an affair James had with a younger coworker, Olivia Lytton (Naomi Scott). He tells Sophie it meant nothing, that it ended recently, and that he made a mistake.
We begin our story in London, with happily married couple Sophie and James Whitehouse (Sienna Miller and Rupert Friend). James is a member of parliament and a close friend to Prime Minister Tom Southern (Geoffrey Streatfield), while Sophie supports him and cares for their two children. Their lives appear perfect until news breaks of an affair James had with a younger coworker, Olivia Lytton (Naomi Scott). He tells Sophie it meant nothing, that it ended recently, and that he made a mistake.
- 4/5/2022
- by Belen Edwards
- Indiewire
People like to think that they know their spouse completely and totally, but it's impossible to know exactly what's going on when you're not around. In "Anatomy of a Scandal," a new Netflix limited series based on the international best-seller by Sarah Vaughan, a wealthy wife and mother named Sophie (Sienna Miller) discovers that her husband James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend) has been accused of something truly terrible. Whitehouse is a Minister in Parliament, meaning that his case will be high-profile and heavily scrutinized, and could shatter his neatly tailored little life.
The official trailer for the series has dropped, and it teases a series...
The post Anatomy of a Scandal Trailer: The International Bestseller Comes to Life at Netflix appeared first on /Film.
The official trailer for the series has dropped, and it teases a series...
The post Anatomy of a Scandal Trailer: The International Bestseller Comes to Life at Netflix appeared first on /Film.
- 3/19/2022
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
“For whatever reason, somebody is lying,” James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend) says in the Anatomy of a Scandal trailer. “Am I looking at him?” his wife Sophie (Sienna Miller) asks. The new Netflix psychological thriller and gripping courtroom drama, premiering Friday, April 15, is based on Sarah Vaughan’s novel of the same name and goes into the world of Britain’s elite. As the trailer shows, while James may claim “it was just sex,” Sophie knows better and knows that there’s a reason why he’s confessing. And when the story breaks, it turns out there’s more than one side to it. Sophie thinks she should have questioned things she didn’t, while James refuses to let his name and rape be uttered in the same sentence in court. Watch the video below for more. The series looks at the elite “through personal and political scandal, where the truth lies between justice and privilege,...
- 3/17/2022
- TV Insider
Every marriage has its faults, but what happens when a spouse is accused of rape? David E. Kelley explores that question in the new Netflix show Anatomy of a Scandal, starring Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, Rupert Friend and Naomi Scott. Described by the streaming platform as a "psychological thriller and gripping courtroom drama," the six-episode series follows U.K. minister James Whitehouse (Friend) and his wife, Sophie (Miller), as they attempt to weather accusations of rape and infidelity. James denies raping his colleague, Olivia Lytton (Scott), but admits to having an affair. "It meant nothing," James insists. "It was just sex." But Sophie struggles to...
- 3/17/2022
- E! Online
What would you do if your mother suddenly was not who you thought she was?
Netflix’s mystery thriller “Pieces of Her” stars Bella Heathcote as Andy Oliver, who is saved during a seemingly random act of violence by her mother Laura (Toni Collette), who seems remarkably adept at eliminating violent threats. Her actions lead Andy to investigate her mother’s mysterious past.
Based on Karin Slaughter’s New York Times–bestselling novel and helmed by producers of “Big Little Lies” and “The Undoing,” the upcoming series “Pieces of Her” premieres March 4 on Netflix.
Charlotte Stoudt, who wrote the series adaptation, serves as showrunner and executive producer, with Minkie Spiro directing. The eight-episode series is executive-produced by author Slaughter, Steve Hutensky, Casey Harver, Janice Williams, Lesli Linka Glatter, and Bruna Papandrea.
Jessica Barden, Jacob Scipio, Joe Dempsie, Aaron Jeffery, Omari Hardwick, Gil Birmingham, David Wenham, Calum Worthy, Nicholas Burton, and...
Netflix’s mystery thriller “Pieces of Her” stars Bella Heathcote as Andy Oliver, who is saved during a seemingly random act of violence by her mother Laura (Toni Collette), who seems remarkably adept at eliminating violent threats. Her actions lead Andy to investigate her mother’s mysterious past.
Based on Karin Slaughter’s New York Times–bestselling novel and helmed by producers of “Big Little Lies” and “The Undoing,” the upcoming series “Pieces of Her” premieres March 4 on Netflix.
Charlotte Stoudt, who wrote the series adaptation, serves as showrunner and executive producer, with Minkie Spiro directing. The eight-episode series is executive-produced by author Slaughter, Steve Hutensky, Casey Harver, Janice Williams, Lesli Linka Glatter, and Bruna Papandrea.
Jessica Barden, Jacob Scipio, Joe Dempsie, Aaron Jeffery, Omari Hardwick, Gil Birmingham, David Wenham, Calum Worthy, Nicholas Burton, and...
- 2/15/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Naomi Scott has joined the cast of “Big Little Lies” creator David E. Kelley’s “Anatomy of a Scandal” adaptation at Neflix, which includes Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery and Rupert Friend, a spokesperson for the streaming service said Tuesday.
Based on Sarah Vaughan’s novel of the same name, “Anatomy of a Scandal” is described as an “insightful and suspenseful series about sexual consent and privilege set in London.”
The “Aladdin” and “Charlie’s Angels” star has been cast as Olivia, “a parliamentary researcher with a bright future who’s facing a powerful adversary.”
As previously announced, Miller will be playing Sophie Whitehouse, “an Oxford graduate, a wife and a mother of two whose perfectly charmed life is about to implode.” Dockery is taking on the role of Kate Woodcroft, QC, “a steely criminal barrister specializing in prosecuting sexual crimes who’s risen quickly in her field, and just got handed the case of a lifetime.
Based on Sarah Vaughan’s novel of the same name, “Anatomy of a Scandal” is described as an “insightful and suspenseful series about sexual consent and privilege set in London.”
The “Aladdin” and “Charlie’s Angels” star has been cast as Olivia, “a parliamentary researcher with a bright future who’s facing a powerful adversary.”
As previously announced, Miller will be playing Sophie Whitehouse, “an Oxford graduate, a wife and a mother of two whose perfectly charmed life is about to implode.” Dockery is taking on the role of Kate Woodcroft, QC, “a steely criminal barrister specializing in prosecuting sexual crimes who’s risen quickly in her field, and just got handed the case of a lifetime.
- 12/15/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery and Rupert Friend have been cast as the leads of David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson’s Netflix anthology series “Anatomy of a Scandal,” the streaming service said Wednesday.
Here’s the official logline for the six-episode, hour-long show, which is based on Sarah Vaughan’s international bestselling novel: “An insightful and suspenseful series about sexual consent and privilege set in London.”
Miller will play Sophie Whitehouse, “an Oxford graduate, a wife and a mother of two whose perfectly charmed life is about to implode.” Dockery will take on the role of Kate Woodcroft, QC, “a steely criminal barrister specializing in prosecuting sexual crimes who’s risen quickly in her field, and just got handed the case of a lifetime.” And Friend will have the part of James Whitehouse, “an ambitious and charismatic junior minister who has always shared his wife’s good fortune–until now.
Here’s the official logline for the six-episode, hour-long show, which is based on Sarah Vaughan’s international bestselling novel: “An insightful and suspenseful series about sexual consent and privilege set in London.”
Miller will play Sophie Whitehouse, “an Oxford graduate, a wife and a mother of two whose perfectly charmed life is about to implode.” Dockery will take on the role of Kate Woodcroft, QC, “a steely criminal barrister specializing in prosecuting sexual crimes who’s risen quickly in her field, and just got handed the case of a lifetime.” And Friend will have the part of James Whitehouse, “an ambitious and charismatic junior minister who has always shared his wife’s good fortune–until now.
- 9/23/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Lead cast has been set for anticipated Netflix series Anatomy Of A Scandal, we can reveal.
Sienna Miller (The Loudest Voice), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) and Rupert Friend (Strange Angel) will lead cast in the show from Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley and former House Of Cards showrunner Melissa James Gibson. S.J. Clarkson (Succession, Jessica Jones) is directing. We hear shoot will get underway this year in London.
The six-part series is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan and tells the story of a scandal among the British privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake.
The original 2017 book centers on a high-flying Westminster politician whose marriage unravels when he is accused of rape. Sophie is sure her husband is innocent, while prosecutor Kate is equally convinced he is guilty.
Miller will play Sophie Whitehouse, the Oxford graduate, a wife...
Sienna Miller (The Loudest Voice), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) and Rupert Friend (Strange Angel) will lead cast in the show from Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley and former House Of Cards showrunner Melissa James Gibson. S.J. Clarkson (Succession, Jessica Jones) is directing. We hear shoot will get underway this year in London.
The six-part series is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan and tells the story of a scandal among the British privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake.
The original 2017 book centers on a high-flying Westminster politician whose marriage unravels when he is accused of rape. Sophie is sure her husband is innocent, while prosecutor Kate is equally convinced he is guilty.
Miller will play Sophie Whitehouse, the Oxford graduate, a wife...
- 9/23/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
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