Star’s ‘difficult’ time playing TV Savile role
Says he was comforted by survivors’ reaction
STEVE Coogan said it was ‘very difficult’ to portray Jimmy Savile in the BBC drama The Reckoning.
The Middleton-born star played the disgraced former Top of the Pops host in a four-part show, which also featured interviews with some of Savile’s victims.
Steve, perhaps most famous for comedy roles including his character I’m Alan Partridge, acknowledged it was a ‘gamble’ to take on the role but said he was comforted by the reaction from survivors of the vile paedophile.
The 58-year-old also revealed he shaved his head for up to three months while filming the show, in order to save time in make-up as he was transformed into the shamed former DJ.
Steve told BBC Breakfast: “We knew it was a risky thing to do, but we did it with a lot of the survivors, we did a lot of research.
“The process was very, very careful. From a personal perspective, as an actor, I knew it was a bit of a gamble.
“I knew there’d be some consternation about me because of my background in comedy, that it might be inappropriate.
“I was aware of that, but I thought with a fair wind I could do justice to the whole project.
“The reaction has been very good, the public in particular have been pretty universal. I’ve had letters from victims saying how important it was.
“They were worried, but now they’ve realised it’s actually good, because it has put it on the map and allowed people to talk about it and stop it happening again.”
Steve said relieved when concluded.
He added: “I was very pleased the last day of filming, because I thought I’ll never have to dress as him again.
“I had to shave my head during the whole process.
“I had to shave my head he was filming for two or three months.
“They said if you shave your head, because the make-up took two or three hours when I was playing him as an old man, they said it’ll save you an hour in the chair.
“I thought one hour less being that person is welcome.
“It was very sometimes.
“There were a lot of young actors playing victims, young women, and I was very cognisant between takes to be Steve Coogan again as quickly as possible when they said cut.” difficult