Brian Cox on playing Winston Churchill in new film depicting run-up to the D-Day landings

“HISTORY will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”

So said former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whose efforts during the Second World War are paid tribute to in a new film out this week, aptly named Churchill.

The movie recounts the events during the run-up to the D-Day landings.

The Prime Minister was terrified that, should the landings fail, he would forever be remembered as an architect of carnage.

Of course, the result of his time as Prime Minister has seen him become an icon of British will and determination, and Brian Cox was cast in the role.

“It’s just a great part,” says Brian, who’s 70.

“The whole film revolves around one major question — do they go or do they not go?

“The war had been going on since the end of ’39, so Churchill was coming up to hitting his fifth year.

“He was frail — he’d been ill and had pneumonia, so he was not at his best and also he suffered from this thing called the ‘black dog’ — depression.”

A constant by Churchill’s side was his wife Clementine, who is portrayed in the movie by Miranda Richardson.

How did she prepare for her role?

“I read the books and I looked at the photographs a lot,” Miranda, who’s 59, reveals.

“I find them revealing and often Clemmie is bright and laughing and throwing her head back or grinning or something.

“She’s presenting a really strong persona as well as bolstering and supporting Winston.

“They have a tremendous friendship on top of everything else that you hope to have from a marriage.

“She was kind of a mother figure to this big baby,” Miranda continues.

“He had never known his mother and she was terrified of hers.

“However, it’s something she could do and do very well because she knew when to come in and advise.

“In the old-fashioned sense, she was a proper help meet to him, I think.”

Brian, too, thinks that they were a great team, saying: “They went through so much together because it wasn’t very easy for Churchill.

“I mean he was very successful very early, but it was followed by him not being liked.

“As people realised him as a hero of the war, Clementine was his rock, his absolute rock.

“She was the one who protected the legacy.

“There’s an amazing story about the Graham Sutherland portrait of Churchill that they had commissioned.

“When that portrait was unveiled, Churchill hated it and he kind of backed away as though the victim of modern art or something like that.

“That painting was given to the family and she — and I believe it was she — had it burned.”

Brian was thrilled about the casting of Miranda as Clementine, saying: “I’ve long admired Miranda — when I knew she was coming on board, I couldn’t have been happier because I just love her acting.”

 Churchill is in cinemas from Friday, June 16.