Was that really Rufus Sewell's butt in Scoop? Viewers unhappy seeing 'Prince Andrew' in the buff

The new Netflix Original movie Scoop is garnering quite the buzz amid its controversial subject matter, but that's not what had viewers in a tizzy over the weekend.

Scoop stars Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew in a movie that aims to show viewers how that infamous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview with journalist Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) came to be.

Scoop includes a lot of the scandalous content from Prince Andrew's life, dissecting his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and even showcasing his rumored stuffed animal collection. But the thing that got significant attention was the film's decision to show Prince Andrew in the buff.

The moment in question occurs toward the end of the movie, when Sewell as Prince Andrew is taking a bath as his interview plays out on live television. He starts receiving a litany of phone notifications, prompting him to get out of the bath and stand naked before his TV screen. The camera is situated behind Sewell at that moment, so viewers get to see his backside in all of its glory.

Overall, the moment in question lasts maybe a second or two before it cuts away, but it still elicited many posts on X (formerly Twitter).

"Was it really necessary for me to see Prince Andrew's bare a** cheeks?! #Scoop," wrote one user.

"Just watched #Scoop was spellbound - glued to my seat. But Christ - did we really need to see him naked?!?" said another.

There's also this post from another X user going by the name Benet Catty, who really seems to hit the nail on the head. "A great image near the end of #Scoop. Andrew naked. And we, the nation, observe the normally concealed underside of the Prince’s reputation. Rufus Sewell’s performance is a kind of miracle. And his bottom is a kind of metaphor."

For those unaware, that wasn't actually Rufus Sewell's bare buttocks on-screen. The actor reportedly used a prosthetic. USA Today quotes Swell telling Radio Times that his Scoop bum was specially brought in for the film shoot.

"It's not that I'm ashamed of my own. I get it out whenever I get the chance - but this bum was specially shipped in."

Sewell is a handsome guy, so I imagine maybe if it was his butt people wouldn't have complained as much. If you do want to check out the real deal, you could always see him in action in Netflix series The Diplomat. By that, I'm just giving you another excuse to watch the excellent political drama in which Sewell stars alongside the always wonderful Keri Russell.

As for why the movie opted to go through the trouble of ordering a prosthetic butt for that one blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, I imagine it's just to underscore how humiliating that entire Newsnight debacle wound up being for the Queen's favored son. Shortly after it aired, he even stepped down from all of his royal duties and vanished from the public eye.

Also, just in case you were wondering, that whole stuffed animal thing is based on several real anecdotes.

Scoop, which also stars Gillian Anderson, Billie Piper, and Keeley Hawes, is now streaming on Netflix.