Why Claire Foy Admires Her ‘Terrible’ Heiress in ‘A Very British Scandal’ (VIDEO)
Claire Foy and Paul Bettany star in the three-part limited series A Very British Scandal, based on the true story of the 1951 marriage of beautiful, fun-loving heiress Margaret Sweeny to dashing Duke of Argyll, Captain Ian Campbell — and their bitter, headline-making 1963 divorce.
The couple met when he was still married, and she was in the midst of splitting from her first husband. Their bantering, sexy affair is well captured — when Campbell first invites her to Scotland he says, “I’ll be a perfect gentleman,” to which she responds, “In that case, I’ll stay at home.” But things turn sour when they wed.
“They go into the marriage with the best intentions, but their true selves are showing very quickly,” Foy says. They both want their own way and, “they brutalize each other,” says Bettany bluntly.
When they inevitably separate, Margaret is not ready for the negative public reaction and excoriating tabloid reports. She’s always been glamorous and had the press in the palm of her hand, Foy says.
She makes, “some pretty terrible decisions about how far to take the divorce case. But then I sort of admire her for that. Because why shouldn’t she be true to herself? Even though ‘herself’ was pretty terrible. Why shouldn’t she just keep going and do what she wants?”
A Very British Scandal, Series Premiere, Friday, April 22, Prime Video
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