The casting of the former Shakespeare in Love actor, 52, in Rupert Goold s new play follows a long tradition of casting glamorous stars to portray everyday people.
As Colin Firth was hailed the ultimate cating glow up in The Staircase, FEMAIL reveals the real real people who received very glamorous makeovers when their stories hit the screen.
WHAT IT S ABOUT:
In the 1970s, merciless killer Charles Sobhraj preys on travelers exploring the hippie trail of South Asia.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
The Serpent, now streaming on Netflix.
What followed was an Easter weekend binge and hours spent on the internet, getting to know the man identified and later charged as a murderer, thief and seductive master of disguise in the mid-70s.
The Serpent, which first aired on BBC One earlier this year, follows Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) as he investigates the disappearance of a pair of Dutch backpackers in Bangkok. With recruited help from anyone he can get, including his then-wife, Angela (Ellie Bamber), his pursuit leads him to Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim) and his accomplices, including Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman) and Ajay Chowdhury (Amesh Edireweera). All of whom have been drugging, robbing and killing young tourists travelling between Europe and South Asia.