Billie Piper’s makeover into the producer who orchestrated the Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew for Netflix’s thriller Scoop cost thousands of pounds.
The Doctor Who star plays Sam McAlister, who got the once-in-a-lifetime chance for the BBC series, in the film about the royal’s catastrophic interview with Emily Maitlis on the BBC.
To resemble Sam, the 41-year-old former 90s popstar had to wear a peroxide blonde, long, wavy wig that cost producers £11,000.
Billie, whose films and television programmes include I Hate Suzie, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, and Catherine Called Birdy, described it as the’most costly’ she has ever worn.
The revelation occurred during a Netflix interview with the Honey to the Bee singer and Sam to promote Scoop.
Sam asked Billie: ‘How did you feel wearing the Sam McAlister look? Did you get sick of wearing black every day?’
Billie insisted: ‘I didn’t actually, I really enjoyed it. It’s really nice when you’ve got a look to go into. It really helps separate you from yourself when you’re acting.’
Sam gasped: ‘I still can’t believe the cost that wig.’
Billie replied: ‘The wig? It was £11,000. My most expensive wig to date.
Laughing, Sam quipped: ‘You’re welcome.’
Sam created the book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews, on which the Netflix film is based, and he also worked as an executive producer.
Billie spent a lot of time on and off set with Sam to hone her mannerisms, describing her presence as a ‘gift’ to an actress.
‘I didn’t really have the access to many filmed appearances of Sam – there were one or two that I regularly binged,’ she explained.
‘Gillian [Anderson] probably had a wealth of video clips from Emily [Maitlis], so I spent more time with Sam, one to one, before we started filming, during the rehearsal period. And then on set, as you say – and yes, that’s a gift really, you don’t normally get that access.’
The Bafta and Brit Award nominee said she was ‘relieved’ to be able to find the opportunity to ‘constantly just refer back to her or study her without her seeing me’.
Meanwhile, Sam revealed that she was most impressed by Billie’s dedication to perfecting her bouncy walk – requesting videos – which is seen in several establishing shots as the booker strides into BBC headquarters in her black faux fur-collared jacket, complete with Chanel brooch and brandishing a Louis Vuitton bag.
‘The way you so faithfully did the painful bounce on those very high heels! I apologise if you sue me about your knees,’ Sam told Billie, making her chuckle.
‘Every day I would go to the office for so many years like it was a first day. I feel you really got the energy of that optimism that I kept trying to bring to what was sometimes quite a hard job.’
The Duke of York agreed to the Newsnight interview in 2019 in an attempt to clear the air regarding his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – going against the usual royal mantra of ‘never complain, never explain’.
After the devastating ramifications of his words, he resigned from public life and stopped working for the corporation.
Gillian Anderson plays Emily Maitlis, Rufus Sewell plays Prince Andrew, and Keeley Hawes portrays Amanda Thirsk, the royal’s former private secretary.
Scoop is available to stream on Netflix.
