Latest news with #Purefoy
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Outrageous' James Purefoy on ‘joy' of reuniting with co-star
Two British icons of the screen finally join forces in the new period drama Outrageous, releasing this week on U and U&Drama Outrageous star James Purefoy has opened up about working with his long-time friend Anna Chancellor for the first time ever in the upcoming period drama. This scandalous series coming this week on U and U&Drama takes viewers back to the 1930s when the shadow of World War II was beginning to loom. While Nancy Mitford (played by Bessie Carter) becomes a reputable writer, her sisters follow drastically different career paths. Under the stern eyes of their parents, David Freeman-Mitford aka 'Farve' (Purefoy) and Sydney Bowles aka 'Muv' (Chancellor), the family is catapulted into notoriety as the sisters become rebels, socialites and even rub shoulders with fascists. Speaking to Reach at Outrageous' London premiere, Purefoy explained his co-star has been a dear friend for years despite never sharing the screen. 'She's an amazing actress,' he said. 'She's the godmother to my eldest child, I've known her 35 years and this is the first time I've worked with her. 'It was just a joy working with a really old friend because there's a lot of shorthand there and it was a very easy fit for us. 'It was just an enormous pleasure every single day.' Throughout the six-part drama, the Mitford patriarch struggles to keep his foothold in high society following a substantial loss during the Wall Street Crash. Although he attempts to rule his household with an iron fist, his anarchic daughters have other ideas. As Britain faced economic turmoil in the years preceding the war, his daughters Diana (Joanna Vanderham) and Unity (Shannon Watson) blindly swear allegiance to the British Union of Fascists. Meanwhile, Muv is simply desperate for her daughters to find good husbands during an era when family connections meant everything. 'The thing about Anna is she's so curious about everybody and everything,' Purefoy added. 'She will talk to anybody about anything. And is always interested, and that's what makes her such a good actress.' This isn't the first time Purefoy and Chancellor have been involved in the same project, however. Chancellor portrayed a fascist herself, the villainous Dr. Frances Gaunt, in the popular Batman prequel series Pennyworth, starring Jack Bannon as the nocturnal hero's future butler Alfred. Despite not sharing scenes together, Purefoy also had a major role in the Epix and HBO Max series, playing Captain Gulliver 'Gully' Troy, aka Captain Blighty, in the second and third seasons. As two legendary stars of the British stage and screen, don't miss the chance to see Purefoy and Chancellor as married aristocrats in this scandalous new drama that truly lives up to its title. Outrageous premieres Thursday, 19th June on U, U&Drama and BritBox.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Netflix star warns his new period drama will ‘wake people up'
A beloved British star has previewed his next role in a scandalous period drama hitting screens this week Actor James Purefoy believes his new series will strike a chord with the current political landscape despite being set nearly 100 years ago. The British star, recently best known for portraying Remi Milburn in Netflix 's hit comedy-drama Sex Education, takes on a crucial role in U and U&Drama's Outrageous, premiering later this week. Based on the life of Nancy Mitford, Bridgerton star Bessie Carter steps into the role of the iconic writer during her family's rise to notoriety in the 1930s. With the Second World War looming, Nancy's relationship with her sisters begins to fracture when they start to develop radically opposed political views. When their father, David Freeman-Mitford (played by Purefoy), known to the girls as 'Farve', is forced to tighten his belt, some of his daughters begin to rub shoulders with British Fascists, believing them to be the answer to the country's growing financial woes. Speaking exclusively to Reach at Outrageous' London premiere, Purefoy admitted: 'I think, because of the times we live in, I'm not sure how outrageous it is. 'Because I think everybody's quite used to what's going on in terms of very polarised politics, populist leaders doing unbelievably outrageous things. 'So, it's outrageous in the sense of, that's kind of where it started.' Written by Sarah Williams, Outrageous marks itself out from other period dramas from the first episode as it's not afraid to delve into the seedier corners of aristocratic life in the 20th Century. While Nancy hones her talents as a writer, her sisters Diana (Joanna Vanderham) and Unity (Shannon Watson) became more involved in the rise of fascism in the UK, much in the same way families have been splintered by politics in recent years. 'Sometimes it takes a show to come along to show us where we are now by looking through the lens of us now from 1933,' Purefoy continued. 'And I think people are going to find that fascinating, they're going to go 'Oh my God, this really is like where we are now'. 'What's, for me, outrageous, is that those people then didn't have the benefit of hindsight. Fascism, the logical conclusion, the only way it ends up, is with the industrial slaughter of millions of people. 'They didn't know that then. But those who flirt with fascism, the iconography, the language, the words of fascism now, they know where it ends up. And they should be very careful playing with that fire.' The actor concluded by issuing a warning to those planning on watching the series that they might have their viewpoints challenged. 'Perhaps, hopefully it will wake people up to go, 'Woah, that's not a road we want to go down again!'' he says. Touching on his role within the series, Purefoy explained that much of his character was lifted from Uncle Matthew, a prominent figure in Nancy Mitford's works believed to be heavily based on her own father. 'He's an interesting story, Farve,' Purefoy says. 'Uncle Matthew is a very boisterous, slightly cartoonish figure who's brutal with his children. 'And, yes, Farve is pretty brutal with his children but I find him quite a sad figure. Because he pretty much loses everything as the show goes on. 'And he's just not equipped for the modern world at all. He's lost a lot of money [during] the Wall Street Crash and that's not coming back fast enough. 'I find him a really, deeply upsetting man in a lot of ways because he's someone who's quite lost in the modern world. He's just not equipped for it.' U's latest venture is an essential watch for fans of Downton Abbey and other period dramas, so make sure this scandalous and gripping new series is on your radar this week. Outrageous premieres Thursday, 19th June on U, U&Drama and BritBox.
