The Queen's Gambit star Thomas Brodie-Sangster reflects on the show's massive success a year and a half after the premiere. The series was written and directed by Scott Frank, who had previously collaborated with Brodie-Sangster on the western miniseries Godless. Along with becoming Netflix's most-streamed miniseries when it was first released, The Queen's Gambit won 11 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, a first for a streaming series.
Based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, The Queen's Gambit follows Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a chess prodigy who finds success in elite professional chess while struggling with emotional trauma and substance dependency. Brodie-Sangster plays Benny Watts, the U.S. Chess Champion who becomes a mentor and friend to Beth. The series is next expected to be adapted for the stage, with a Queen's Gambit musical being produced in the wake of the show's huge success.
In an interview with The Guardian, Brodie-Sangster opened up about how unexpected The Queen's Gambit's success was. The actor explained that the novel adaptation was initially a movie, but had trouble finding a distributor. Ultimately, the producers went to Netflix, who agreed to create a Queen's Gambit series. Brodie-Sangster recalled how the lack of interest in the subject matter of chess made it a hard sell, and its mass audience appeal proved a big surprise. Read his quote below:
"I don’t think anyone would have said that a show about chess would have the legs that it did. That’s why it went to Netflix – it was supposed to be a film but no one wanted to make it. It’s chess. No one is gonna go and watch that. Eventually they said: ‘OK, we’ll do it, but make it a series.’"
Brodie-Sangster also discussed Taylor-Joy's lead role as Beth, saying the actor had a tricky role in portraying her across the many different eras and times of her life. With Taylor-Joy being in nearly every scene of The Queen's Gambit, Brodie-Sangster admired her "strong" performance, saying she "plough[ed] through it with no signs of weakness." This didn't go unnoticed by critics, either, as both Taylor-Joy and Brodie-Sangster received Emmy nominations for their performances in The Queen's Gambit, a first for both actors.
The actor's surprise certainly makes sense, as The Queen's Gambit's success proved that even a subject as seemingly dry as chess can be made compelling and with spot-on production, sharp direction, and dynamic performances. Without resting on established IP or even a well-known narrative, the Netflix hit showed there is still a wide audience for inspiring new stories. That said, Frank has said he has no intention of making The Queen's Gambit season 2, given that it neatly wrapped up Beth's journey. Ultimately, as a limited series, The Queen's Gambit shocked many (including its own cast) when it proved itself one of Netflix's strongest offerings.
Source: The Guardian