Jason Isaacs opens up about playing Cary Grant in new ITVX drama Archie
The biopic will arrive on the streaming platform this month
Last updated 16th Nov 2023
Jason Isaacs is set to take on the role of Hollywood icon Cary Grant in an upcoming ITVX drama about the life of the actor. Archie will land on the platform on Thursday 23rd November.
Speaking about the show, Jason revealed that he initially wasn't sure whether to accept the role. He said: "My initial thought was only an idiot would take this part, that anyone with half a brain would run in the opposite direction. It was obviously impossible to play the icon who was the biggest star in the world for nearly thirty years and who’s still legendary for being the very epitome of suave, lady-killing manliness.
"What was Jeff Pope thinking coming up with the idea? He’d written so many brilliant things in the past, why had he lost his mind now? Then I read his script and wondered why I’d doubted him, that wasn’t the story he was telling at all.
"The more I researched and, eventually, the more people I spoke to who knew Cary, the clearer it became that ‘Cary Grant’ was fiction. A creation, that the abused and abandoned Archie Leach was nothing like him. He’d spent most of his adult life relentlessly searching for relief from the childhood demons that never stopped haunting him."
Explaining what to expect from the series, Jason said: "It’s a look behind the curtain at one of the most famous movie stars of all time, at the very peak of his powers, beloved by hundreds of millions of people, wildly successfully on every front, living his and everybody’s dream and how that doesn’t tell you one single thing about him.
"Archie Leach had an alcoholic, violent, abusive father who abandoned him, his older brother died, he lost his very critical, controlling, depressed mother early and his alcoholic grandmother completely neglected even to feed him. Archie had to completely erase his past and invent his future by being whatever people needed him to be. Thematically, it’s about the damage the past can destroy you if you don’t deal with it properly."
Cary Grant was born Archibald Alexander Leach in Bristol in 1904. Archie tells the story of his troubled childhood, detailing how extreme poverty, his father's adultery and the loss of his brother John tore his family apart, sending his mother into a deep spiral of grief and depression.
Scripts written by award-winning screenwriter Jeff Pope will reveal how Archie's life was shaped by deceit, cruelty and one overpowering lie. A chance meeting with comedian George Burns helps Archie to find his feet in the acting world, gaining a contract with a movie studio who thought he should change his name - becoming Cary Grant.
The drama will also intercut with scenes from 1961, when Cary was at the height of his fame yet deeply unhappy in his personal life. Archie will also depict Cary's relationship with ex-wife Dyan Cannon, who he married in Las Vegas in 1965.
Laura Aikman stars as Dyan Cannon, whilst Harriet Walter plays Cary's mother, Elsie Leach. Dainton Anderson, Calam Lynch and Oaklee Pendergast play young versions of Archie Leach, and Kara Tointon plays young Elsie.
The drama consists of four 60-minute episodes and will be available to watch on ITVX and STV Player on Thursday 23rd November.
Take a look at some TV shows we'd love to see return:
Dad's Army
Written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, Dad's Army ran for nine series on the BBC between 1968 and 1977.
The popular sitcom was about the UK's Home Guard during the Second World War and it gained an impressive 18 million viewers!
Fawlty Towers
Although only two series of Fawlty Towers was made, the show was very popular when it aired on BBC Two between 1975 and 1979.
Written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, the sitcom, which was set in the fictional hotel of Fawlty Towers in the seaside town of Torquay, starred the likes of John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs.
In February 2023 it was announced the series would be returning with John Cleese and his daughter Camilla playing his on-screen daughter.
The Royle Family
Running for three series between 1998 to 2000, and two specials in 2006 to 2012, The Royle Family was sure to make you laugh.
Created by the late Caroline Aherne, the sitcom followed the lives of fictional working-class family The Royles, including Jim Royle, his wife Barbara, their daughter Denise, their son Antony, and Denise's husband David.
Grange Hill
The gripping storylines and relatable characters in Grange Hill had us glued to our screens between 1978 and 2018.
With an incredible 31 series over 30 years, Grange Hill was one of the longest-running shows on British TV!
Only Fools and Horses
Perhaps one of the most iconic TV shows ever to grace our screens! Only Fools and Horses ran for seven series in the end, made up of 64 episodes in total.
Created and written by John Sullivan, the brilliant sitcom aired for 10 years on BBC One between 1981 and 1991 and followed the lives of market trader Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter and his younger brother Rodney.
Stars In Their Eyes
A true classic! Stars In Their Eyes, originally hosted by Leslie Crowther, first aired in 1990 with Matthew Kelly taking over in 1993. The show did make a return with Harry Hill in 2015, but it didn't quite take off!
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, or Ab Fab as it's more commonly known, was created off the back of the French and Saunders sketch and first aired back in 1992.
Featuring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, the sitcom aired for five series, with 39 episodes.
More recently in 2019, a movie called Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie landed in cinemas much to the delight of fans.
The Bill
First broadcast in 1983, police drama The Bill certainly proved popular, airing until 2010. The show focused on the lives and work of police officers and starred well-known actors such as Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole and Mark Wingett.
Blackadder
Starring the legendary Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, the popular period sitcom one split into four series, airing on BBC One between 1983 and 1989.
The series were called: The Black Adder, Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third, and Blackadder Goes Forth, as well as a number of specials.
Father Ted
We were gifted with three series of Father Ted between 1995 and 1998, which was written by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews.
Featuring Dermot Morgan as Father Ted Crilly, the sitcom showed the priests living together in a parochial house with their housekeeper Mrs Doyle.
With just 25 episodes in total, we'd love some more!
Porridge
Starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale, Porridge is certainly another iconic sitcom which graced our screens between 1974 and 1977.
With three series and two Christmas specials, Porridge followed the lives of two prison inmates, Norman Fletcher and Lennie Godber, who were serving at the fictional HMP Slade.
Where The Heart Is
British drama Where The Heart Is, which was filmed in the Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite, proved very popular with viewers between 1997-2006, showcasing the lives of a group of district nurses and their families.
The Young Ones
The Young Ones, which aired for two series between 1982 and 1984, kickstarted the careers of the likes of Adrian Edmondson, Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, and Alexei Sayle.
Including surreal jokes, visual humour and slapstick gags, The Young Ones followed the lives of four students and their landlord's family.
'Allo 'Allo!
After being commissioned following a successful pilot episode, 'Allo 'Allo! ran for nine series between 1984 and 1992, airing on BBC One.
The show, which went on to run for nine series with 85 episodes, followed a café owner in Nouvion, during the German occupation of France in the Second World War.
Hi-de-Hi!
Written by Dad's Army writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft, Hi-de-Hi! was set in a fictional holiday camp called Maplins and aired between 1980 and 1988 for nine series.
The popular BBC sitcom revolved around Maplins' entertainers.
It's a Knockout
It was stupid, it was crazy, but it was certainly fun! It's a Knockout started way back in 1966, but the show made a number of returns on BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5!
Bottom
Airing on BBC Two for three series between 1991 and 1995, Bottom starred creators Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall as Edward Elizabeth 'Eddie' Hitler and Richard 'Richie Richard.
The show followed the two flatmates in Hammersmith, West London, with no jobs and little money.
Steptoe and Son
British sitcom Steptoe and Son had two runs on the BBC, one in black and white between 1962 and 1965, and another in colour between 1970 and 1974.
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? followed the lives of staff in fictional department store Grace Brothers.
The sitcom ran for 10 series on the BBC between 1972 and 1985, as well as a number of Christmas specials!
The Vicar of Dibley
Set in a fictional Oxfordshire village called Dibley, The Vicar of Dibley stars Dawn French in the lead role as The Reverend Geraldine Granger.
The series, which ran between 1994-2020 (with a number of specials), also featured popular actors Gary Waldhorn, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Trevor Peacock and Emma Chambers.
Rising Damp
Produced for ITV, Rising Damp aired for four series between 1974 and 1978.
Due to the popularity of the TV show, Rising Damp was turned into a feature film in 1980.
London's Burning
Airing between 1988 and 2002, London's Burning documented the lives of a fictional London Fire Brigade Blue Watch at the fictional Blackwall fire station.
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