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The Queen’s Gambit will officially arrive on Netflix this Friday, showcasing a star-studded and emotional adaptation of Walter Tevis’ iconic novel. The story brings to life the journey of Beth Harmon (Anya-Taylor Joy), a young orphan who goes on to be one of the premier players on the competitive chess circuit. Along the way, Beth and the audience are introduced to some surprising adversaries and allies in the chess world, including Harry Beltik (Harry Melling) and Benny Watts (Thomas Brodie-Sangster). Initially two of Beth’s rivals among the competitive chess circuit, both Harry and Benny grow to have significant and poignant roles in her journey — as well as a unique dynamic alongside each other. While speaking to ComicBook.com during a recent press event for The Queen’s Gambit, Brodie-Sangster and Melling spoke about bringing their characters to life, and having them essentially be two sides of the same coin.
“That was probably unintentionally there,” Brodie-Sangster said in our interview, which you can check out above. “They both play a key role in Beth’s development as a growing young woman and as a chess player. It’s when she finally branches out of her orphaned world and starts meeting other people, who are just as talented — and, in some cases, more talented than her. It gives her a chance to develop and develop as a person and as a chess player, really, through meeting and learning a lot from these other characters and other people that have an awful lot to teach her. She overcomes both of them, really, and goes on to her full potential of greatness.”
“Yeah, I think one of the things that really excited me about the script was the fact that every single character was so defined and different,” Melling added. “Each character seems to have a journey within the series. Benny and Harry are very dissimilar in terms of who they are, but in terms of the journey they go on with Beth, they sort of act as similar different figures within her life. It was really, really exciting to see the different vivid characters come to life.”
The Queen’s Gambit also stars Marielle Heller as Alma Wheatley, and Moses Ingram as Jolene.
The Queen’s Gambit will officially debut on Netflix on Friday, October 23rd.