Acclaimed film and theatre actor Sir Kenneth Branagh takes on one of his most daring roles yet, portraying divisive ex-PM Boris Johnson in Sky’s new drama This England. Director Michael Winterbottom recently spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk and other press about his and Branagh’s approach to bringing one of Johnson’s most challenging moments of his career to screen.
The Trip and 24 Hour Party People director Winterbottom confirmed he wanted to avoid making a caricature out of Johnson for his new Sky drama.
This England follows the first six months of Johnson’s premiership, which was blighted by the outbreak of Covid in March 2020.
The series also delves into his rocky personal life, including the birth of his son with his girlfriend and now wife, Carrie Johnson (Olivia Lovibond).
When asked how he thinks Johnson will react to the series, the director admitted: “I don’t know! I don’t know whether he’ll watch it or not.”
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Branagh’s casting as the former Mayor of London was met with some scepticism, with some feeling it was too soon to dramatise one of the darkest periods of UK history.
Although the actor is adorned with a range of prosthetics to portray Johnson, Winterbottom hoped the show’s real-life subject was pleasantly surprised to hear who had been cast.
The director said: “I hope that he was flattered when he heard Kenneth Branagh was going to be playing him.
“Of all the people who could play Boris… he’s a great actor and I hope Boris would be pleased he’s portraying him.”
However, the director was also keen to ensure This England’s portrayal of Johnson was well-rounded, and deliberately avoided a satirical or accusatory approach to the events.
“Because Boris is the one central character who runs through the whole series, you see his personal life, which is so intense at this point, inevitably you see a more rounded version of that person,” he explained.
“You could do a satire… it could have been done as a satire with a satirical take on Boris, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to make him human.
“With an actor like Kenneth, he’s a great actor and he makes that person interesting. He wants to make the person interesting.”
Johnson has yet to share his reaction to the series, and it’s unknown if he’ll tune in when the series premieres on Sky next Wednesday.
As to how the audience will react, Winterbottom said: “If you have a hostile opinion of Boris, you probably think the series is too gentle on him, and if you love Boris you probably think the series is too hard on him.
“We tried to show it in a way we thought was accurate, but depending on your perspective you’ll probably see it in a different way.”
This England premieres Wednesday, September 28 on Sky Atlantic.
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