Richard Gere and Helen McCrory star in MotherFatherSon, a new drama following a fractured family at the heart of politics and power, pulled together under catastrophic circumstances
Richard Gere and Helen McCrory star in MotherFatherSon, a new drama following a fractured family at the heart of politics and power, pulled together under catastrophic circumstances
Yes, Hollywood legend Richard Gere really is starring in a British drama!
A captivating mix of family drama and conspiracy thriller, MotherFatherSon sees Richard play media tycoon Max Finch.
Max’s hard-living son Caden (Billy Howle) runs his UK outlets and is struggling to emerge from his father’s shadow, while his ex Kathryn (Helen McCrory) tries to move on from her marriage.
Reporter Maggie (Sinead Cusack), meanwhile, has a story that could bring down the empire…
Look out for Sarah Lancashire as a Leader of the Opposition who needs Max’s backing in the upcoming general election.
Warning: sensitive viewers may need to look away during a couple of scenes!
TV Times rating: *****
Richard, 69, tells TV Times why he couldn’t say no to the role of media mogul Max Finch in MotherFatherSon…
This is a departure for you, isn’t it?
Yes, I’ve never done anything like this – playing a lead character in a TV series, or playing a character for this amount of time.
I see MotherFatherSon as an eight-hour movie. It’s rare to see this depth of character and human dilemmas where people are trying to do the right thing but tripping over themselves.
Is Max based on anyone?
At the surface, you think you know this guy, because we know figures like Rupert Murdoch and Richard Branson.
But Max isn’t based on any of them. My question was, ‘How do you create a character that’s recognisably a counterpart to them, but has a personality of his own?’ Max does questionable things but I don’t see him as an evil villain. He’s one of us, albeit he has more power and money and problems than most of us do.
How would you describe his relationship with Caden and Kathryn?
It’s complex and we see how they destroy each other but how they need each other. Max has high expectations of his son and pushes him too hard. With Kathryn, it’s prickly. There’s love and concern mixed with regret and suffering.
