In less than a week, one of the most expensive TV shows in the history of the medium will premiere when Citadel lands on Prime Video, and with it comes huge expectations.
Not only did the globetrotting espionage adventure run up an estimated tab of $300 million, but it’s also been renewed for a second season already, while plans are already underway for a worldwide franchise that takes the story to different locations, with Italian and Indian spin-offs in the works as we speak.
It needs to be a massive hit to justify the expense, but do you know who won’t be watching Citadel? Why, it’s none other than Citadel star Lesley Manville, who admitted to The Guardian that the violence – in particularly that towards women – has ensured that she’s not even going to contemplate checking out her latest project
“I can’t watch violence. I don’t watch any. I get offended by it. I really think it’s bad news. People talk about Game of Thrones. I’ve never been able to watch it. Also, it’s pretty violent towards women. I really don’t want to see that. I’m a woman, for a start. Being a woman is a political position. You need to understand what’s going on, the risks, what you’re up against.”
That’s fair enough, but when the entire point of a promotional trail is to generate buzz and interest in whatever it is that you’re promoting, it’s maybe not the wisest idea to come right out and admitted you haven’t seen it, nor are you ever going to. Citadel has the potential to be one of the biggest successes or failures to hit streaming in a long while, but Manville won’t have a clue.
