Rankin portraits of Prime of Miss Jean Brodie star helped her 'crack open' character

The portraits of Ms Rankin in the lead role of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie have been released by the National Theatre of Scotland to mark the birthday of Muriel Spark, who wrote the novel on which the play is based.

The portraits, captured by Rankin in his studio in London, show House of the Dragon star Ms Rankin ???.

Ms Rankin, who also performed in a production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in Edinburgh as a 12-year-old, appeared on the Netflix series GLOW, as Sheila the She-Wolf, as well as Queen Victoria in the hit film The Greatest Showman and Alys Rivers in House of the Dragon.

The production, adapted from Spark’s novel by David Harrower and directed by Vicky Featherstone, will mark 60 years since the premiere of the original stage version and is part of the company’s 20th anniversary season. This is the first time that Harrower’s adaptation has been performed in Scotland, having been originally staged at the Donmar Warehouse in London’s Covent Garden in 2018.

Ms Rankin said: “Working with the legendary photographer Rankin was an incredible experience. His deep curiosity as an artist, alongside Vicky Featherstone and me, helped crack open the earliest beginnings of our Jean Brodie - approaching her not just as an icon, a myth or character, but as a real woman for our time. We were thrilled to start this journey with Rankin’s lens on her.”

As a photographer Rankin’s portfolio ranges from portraiture to documentary. He has shot The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner and Zendaya, to name only a few. In 2023 Rankin photographed King Charles III to mark the monarch’s 75th Birthday for The Big Issue magazine.

He said: “It was a thrill and a privilege to be invited to capture the extraordinary Gayle Rankin in the iconic role of the dangerous but alluring Jean Brodie.

“Her power as an actor brought an electric theatricality to the shoot, as can be seen in the final images. It was fantastic to collaborate with the National Theatre of Scotland on this production, which I hope I can get to see later this year.”

First published in the New Yorker and reissued in volume form in 1961, the novel is set in Edinburgh in 1936 with the central character based in part on a teacher at Spark’s Edinburgh school, James Gillespie’s School for Girls. The novel was subsequently adapted for stage, film and television.

The play will tour Scotland - with shows at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, The Citizens Theatre, Glasgow; His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen and Pitlochry Festival Theatre - from October 2 to November 7 this year.