Anatomy of a Scandal: Sleaze and secrets to the fore in new Netflix series
Rupert Frend and Sienna Miller in a scene from Anatomy Of A Scandal, on Netflix.
Political sleaze, marital secrets and sexual assault form the backbone of Anatomy of a Scandal, the latest high-profile thriller from Netflix. Boasting a starry cast that includes Sienna Miller, Rupert Friend and Michelle Dockery, it tells the story of a privileged UK government minister (Friend) whose wife (Miller) is initially willing to stand by him when his affair with a younger staffer is exposed in the media. But everything changes when the woman involved accuses him of rape.
Sienna Miller plays Sophie Whitehouse, the political wife initially willing to weather her husband’s infidelity, only to face a political and family crisis when rape charges are brought against him. The series is based on a book by former Guardian journalist Sarah Vaughan, who says she took some aspects of the plot and characters from her own reporting days. In a post-Me Too era, Miller says it's refreshing to get to tell stories that deal with issues like consent.
“I'm just excited that I'm being sent scripts where these kinds of issues are front and centre, which is really a very new thing to experience in a 20-year career. I mean, the conversations that are being had globally are essential and overdue and, and I am seeing it reflected back in what we're watching on screen, whether it's I May Destroy You, or Promising Young Woman. These topics are being looked at in a way that they just weren’t.”
As an aspiring young actor watching movies, Miller used to gravitate towards the sassy female supporting characters simply because they had something to say and do. Why does she feel she had to wait so long for scripts like these, and to see fully rounded female characters on screen?
“Part of what the MeToo movement kickstarted was an awareness of how strange the world has been or how underrepresented women have been in film and storytelling,” she believes. “I know that when I was growing up, I saw so many male characters that I idolised and worshipped and respected and, and often the women that I loved in films were kind of the hookers or the chainsmoking ones because they had something to do, those were the women that I admired.
“I remember sometimes feeling like I would make these films and wish I could remake them from the female perspective, because that was so interesting to me. It was just not part of the landscape of the world we were living in. And I think everybody's starting to wake up to realise that we represent over half the population, and we deserve to see ourselves and our experiences represented on screen.”
Miller has lived the experience of being thrust into the limelight. She has spoken about the ‘anxiety inducing’ experience of sudden fame after becoming a star via films like Layer Cake and Alfie. And when she dated Jude Law, their relationship was widely covered and examined in the British press.
“I think that Rupert and I have both had experiences of publicity that was unwarranted or unasked for, and how do you navigate that?” she says. “So there was some sense memory in that side of it. And the rest of it is just, you hope that you have a scene partner, which we fortunately did, where you're both capable of raising each other to what's required.” On the face of it, Miller’s Sophie Whitehouse seems willing to forgive her husband’s affair, but there is real nuance in her attitude to his infidelity which is propelled when the rape accusations emerge.
“I love that there was that resolve in her. I think had there not been the arc of self-discovery or self-realisation, if she'd remained that steadfast person that she was at the beginning, I don't think I would have been interested,” she says.
“But I like that with all of these characters, you're kind of going on a journey of self-discovery with them. Sophie's very different at the end to who she was at the beginning and I've respected the steps that she was beginning to take towards changing her life and perspective.” While a drama-thriller, there are heightened-realism elements from series director SJ Clarkson as to how the characters weather the sucker punches that unfold. When Friend’s character learns of the rape allegations, we see him being thrown backwards. Miller’s Sophie tumbles through a lift shaft when she experiences a key reveal.
“I loved how SJ showed the experience at the lift. As the woman who's been wronged it's inevitable that you'd spend time imagining what that was like, as painful as that might be. We rebuilt the lift in the studio without a back wall. There was a crash mat and I had to just sort of back up and fall.
“Your impulse when you fall, I remember I kept crumpling up and she wanted it to be straight. So I was doing it again and again. And at first it was quite fun, but yeah, I definitely felt it the next few days.”
She describes the director as a “masterful filmmaker and a force of nature” who was determined to impose a female gaze on the production. “For me it’s a ‘feminist’ drama because it shows with real honesty the struggle that women still have in this world on a daily basis.
“It’s also about consent and privilege and toxic masculinity – which are big themes right now. And I loved that. Yes, we’re actors telling stories, but the older I get, the more interested I am in dramas that spark a conversation and Anatomy of a Scandal will definitely do that.”
- Anatomy of a Scandal is on Netflix from Friday, April 15
The coming weeks mark a bingefest bonanza for Netflix viewers, with the return of old favourites as well as the launch of high-profile new shows.
- The sixth series of the Breaking Bad spinoff is regarded by some fans as even better than its epic predecessor. The series is set to drop as seven episodes on a weekly basis, with the series finales coming on stream in July. Bob Odenkirk makes a welcome return after recovering from a heart attack last year.
- The comedy-drama series returns after captivating fans in its first season. The action centres around convoluted new adventure for Natasha Lyonne’s Nadia, involving looted Nazi gold, and some time-jumping interactions with her own family.
- Another smash hit approaches its final episodes as fans finally get to experience what fate becomes of the Byrdes. Can they emerge unscathed from their years of dodgy dealings? A retrospective documentary will accompany the series’ final episodes.
