NEW YORK – For the British royal family, it was one of the biggest public relations disasters in living memory.

But for British journalist Emily Maitlis, the interview she landed in November 2019 – in which she grilled Prince Andrew about his ties with American paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – was the scoop of a lifetime.

The chat did not go well for the prince, who was also forced to address allegations that he himself had sexually assaulted a minor – which he denies – and whose responses were widely viewed as questionable and lacking empathy.

The dogged journalism that led up to this is the source material for the new biographical drama Scoop, which was among the top 10 most-viewed English-language movies on Netflix globally shortly after premiering on April 5.

It also recounts the backlash, which included companies cutting ties with the prince’s charities, as well as renewed calls for him to testify in the late Epstein’s case.

In August 2019, the former financier and convicted sex offender died by suicide at the age of 66 in his New York City jail cell, where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The fallout from the interview prompted the prince to announce, four days later, that he would step back from public life and his royal duties.

In Scoop, Emmy-winning actress Gillian Anderson plays Maitlis, Rufus Sewell is the prince and Billie Piper is Sam McAlister, the British producer who convinced Buckingham Palace to allow the televised showdown.

At a recent screening in New York to promote the film, Anderson, 55, reveals she initially said no to playing Maitlis.

This is because the American actress – who won an Emmy for her career-making role as Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Dana Scully in the science-fiction series The X Files (1993 to 2018) – was somewhat intimidated by the idea of portraying the 53-year-old former television presenter.

“Emily Maitlis is very well known in the United Kingdom. She’s been on our screens and in our ears for a long time, and she’s kind of known as a superwoman about town,” says the star, who spent her childhood in Britain and has now lived there for more than 20 years.

Anderson notes that the movie depicts Maitlis as a high achiever who can do almost anything – “she swims and she jogs and she interviews world leaders”.

“All of that is very true. She is quite a formidable presence and I know lots of people who know her,” says Anderson, who, like Maitlis, lives in London and moves in similar circles.

The actress has played a British public figure before – former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of the biographical drama The Crown (2016 to 2023) – and won her second Emmy doing it.

But that felt different because Thatcher is no longer alive, Anderson says.

“I’ve played a few people who are no longer living, but the prospect of playing somebody not only living, but living in my neighbourhood, seemed like a really bad idea.”

Anderson was eventually persuaded to take the part, however, and threw herself into studying Maitlis’ work and public appearances.

So, when she finally met the journalist, she felt like she already knew her – which led to a bit of an awkward moment.

“When I first came into real-life contact with her, I went in for a hug like she was an old friend.

“But I understood, from her perspective, how creepy that was,” recalls Anderson, who has three children aged 15 to 29 from two previous relationships.

Also central to the story and the film is McAlister, who was a producer on Newsnight, the BBC current affairs programme that aired the interview.

Scoop was adapted from her 2022 autobiography Scoops: Behind The Scenes Of The BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews.

McAlister, who has since left the British public broadcaster, says she and the other reporters involved risked a lot chasing this story.

“This risk that we took – with our jobs, our careers and our lives – to bring this important stuff to the public domain, it really matters,” the former journalist says.

She wants the film to remind audiences of the importance of journalism – “to make sure they protect it because it’s essential to democracy, to freedom of speech and to accountability”.

“The court of public opinion is a hugely important one, and I’m proud to be associated with this moment in journalistic history,” she says.

• Scoop is available on Netflix.