EXCLUSIVE | 'Quiz' actor Michael Jibson says he missed meeting real-life Charles Ingram and Tecwen Whittock
AMC's 'Quiz' tells the story of how Charles and Diana Ingram attempted an “audacious heist” on the UK edition of quiz show, 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'. Major Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen), his wife Diana (Sian Clifford) and an accomplice, Tecwen Whittock (Michael Jibson), who was sitting in the audience, were said to have scammed their way to a million pounds on the popular game show. Jibson speaks to MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) about playing the role of Whittock and his experience of working on the show.
How did you come to be a part of 'Quiz'?
I was very lucky that the casting directors of Quiz had seen me in the West End show of Hamilton when I played King George III in the original London cast. The role of Tecwen Whittock isn’t a particularly large role but needed to have a memorable impact and King George III is similar. It isn’t a huge role in the show but certainly leaves a lasting impression on the audience of Hamilton. After that it was quite straightforward; I went to meet Stephen Frears the director, we had a chat and I was offered the job. I feel very lucky to be a part of it.
What did you like most about Tecwen Whittock?
Tecwen is certainly an interesting character. The footage that I watched of him in real life seems to portray him as a very quiet but thoughtful man. That was certainly a very interesting role.
How did you prepare for the role?
I watched 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' episodes of the actual event on YouTube and viewed footage of Tecwen himself. But ultimately I let James Graham’s incredible screenplay do all the work for me. He allows you to bring the real character to life without doing an impression of the actual person.
Would you ever like to meet the real Charles Ingram and Tecwen Whittock from the scandal?
They came to the set of Quiz, but they came towards the end of the shoot after I’d finished filming so unfortunately I missed them. But I hear that they’re very lovely people.
What was your favorite moment on the show?
There are so many. It would be so hard to pick a specific one of all of the funny moments throughout the three episodes. But I do love when Tecwen coughs right at the end of Episode 2 – and that’s my final answer!
What was the most challenging part?
I think there was a real sense that everybody felt like they were definitely part of something pretty special so there was a certain pressure to be the best you could. And being on set with somebody like Stephen Frears steering the ship is quite an inspiring thing to watch as an actor, so that added to nerves.
How was it working with the cast of 'Quiz?'
Everyone was really fantastic and we had a lot of fun. I met some great people that I hadn’t worked with before like Matthew McFadyen and Sian Clifford, who are the loveliest of people. I also had some of my old friends there like Elliot Levey, so we just all had a good catch-up and got to work together again.
What other projects do you have lined up?
I have lots of projects lined up, which is very exciting! I have Edgar Wright‘s new film 'Last Night in Soho' and a new film about Roald Dahl starring Hugh Bonneville. I also have three TV projects coming out; 'The Barking Murders' for the BBC, 'Honour' for ITV and I also play Emperor Rudolph In the highly anticipated second season of 'A Discovery Of Witches'. I’m very excited about all of these projects because they’re all so varied in characters and style. Hopefully you’ll get to see all three in the US.