The King’s birthday scene was particularly memorable, was it important to channel real, raw emotion?
JMV: It was a spectacular scene but at the same time you had to respect the quality of the emotion involved. Monarchy is a prison where everything needs to be perfect but then here is utter heart break. In this scene Emily was so subtle in conveying her pain. It was like, “Don’t cry, no tears, hold it in.” It’s more touching to see someone hold in their emotion. LF: How did you feel about having Martin Scorsese on the production team? JMV: The smile on my face when I found out that Scorsese was going to produce the film! He’s a master. Quite a director. LF: Did he give you any good advice? JMV: Yes, in his own way, but he’s so busy. He’s always had a close relationship with Graham King. I had notes from Scorsese through Graham, but I never met him unfortunately. LF: Sarah Ferguson was obviously involved in the production, what was she like? JMV: Very, very nice. She came to the set a few times with her daughters but like Scorsese she was remotely involved. She was very effective in her
