Too evil! Too smutty! Too Thatcher! When TV stars demand their scenes are cut

Not all actors are comfortable with baring their behinds … or their souls. From Bridgerton to The Sopranos, some have insisted on moments being axed – although they don’t always get their way

As professional show-offs with A-list ambitions, you might assume that any TV star wants to maximise their screen time – the meatier the role and the more minutes in the limelight, the better. Yet that isn’t always the case. Sometimes, actors want their scenes to be cut, either from the script or from the edit. And they can have all sorts of reasons, from personal politics to second thoughts about stripping off.

The recent Channel 4 docudrama Brian and Maggie, written by Sherwood’s James Graham, saw Dame Harriet Walter deliver a nuanced, non-cartoonish portrayal of the, let’s say, “divisive” figure of Margaret Thatcher. The lady wasn’t for turning. She was for being left on the cutting room floor, though.

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