Despite what rapt media attention might suggest, England’s royal family hasn’t been interesting since George VI overcame a stutter to become king and helped Harvey Weinstein achieve Oscar gold. Yes, Kate Middleton is beautiful and stately, and Prince William boasts a kind-heartedness reminiscent of his beloved mother, but there’s a reason our focus on the royal couple hones in on their wardrobe. There hasn’t been a figure with a unique story worthy of cinematic treatment, even if Lifetime might try to tell you otherwise.
But in the past year, that’s changed. After spending years living in his older brother’s heartthrob shadow, Prince Harry has emerged from his pigeon-holed status as the royal family’s underachieving ginger and transformed into the most fascinating British figure of the 21st century. Harry’s a playboy. Harry’s an overgrown imp. Harry’s a terrible Halloween dresser. Harry’s a respected member of the British Army. Harry, as we learned during a BBC interview that aired Monday, has killed people. Prince Harry, over the course of his 28 years, has become so many different things, he’s achieved a feat impossible for most celebrities: He’s become multi-dimensional.
And that’s precisely why Hollywood should keep a close eye on Harry. While the world speculates what exactly Kate and William’s baby will look like (spoiler alert: It will look like a baby), imagination runs wild surrounding Harry. Thanks to an inexplicably disinterested media, we’re not sure what’s inside his mind or his day planner; what he does on a daily basis or what he hopes to do on a daily basis. We know nothing beyond the vague bits and pieces he reveals during interviews (and the rogue, tabloid-worthy photo that makes its way onto the Internet). And so, with our curiosity (or nosiness, if we’re calling it like it is) getting the best of us, we’re aching for someone besides the harassing British press to fill in the gaps. And that’s why, Hollywood, you need to make a movie about Prince Harry.
But not now. A film starring James Franco as a hard-partying, emotionally troubled prince wouldn’t suffice. Neither would a Michael Bay explosion-gasm of a thriller focusing on Harry’s tour in Afghanistan, where Harry was so committed to his role, he didn’t hesitate to cut an interview short when called to duty. No, Hollywood, you need to wait patiently, and not just because Harry should get the opportunity to enjoy the privacy every Spencer child has so deserved. (Harry did, after all, extoll the virtues of the Army, telling the BBC, “I’m one of the guys. I don’t get treated any differently.”)
Waiting is necessary, rather, because Harry’s story is far from over. There will be more scandals, more heroism, and many more dimensions. And if the rest of Harry’s life is half as interesting as his first 28 years, well, then we’d really be in for a royal cinematic treat that reaches beyond the tabloid noise. Or, yes, another Oscar, Harvey.
[Image Credit: WENN]
