Max Beesley 'couldn't breathe' watching Jean Charles de Menezes drama

Yahoo

26-04-2025

Max Beesley has said he "couldn't breathe" the first time he watched his new drama about Jean Charles de Menezes.
The Disney+ series tells the story of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead in a Tube station in 2005 when he was mistaken for a terror suspect in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in London. Hotel Babylon star Beesley plays Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman, the man who spearheaded the investigation into the attacks.
He shared that the first time he watched the drama it had a big impact on him.
Beesley was on The One Show on Wednesday, 23 April alongside co-star Edison Alcaide, who plays Menezes in Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
The actor said the drama was "so truthful and so beautiful" and admitted he was hit hard when he watched it.
"When we were watching the press screening at Bafta a few weeks ago, (co-star) Laura Aikman and I were sat next to each other and at the end of the second episode we couldn't actually breathe, we were struggling holding it together," he said.
Turning to Alcaide, he went on: "And I think to humanise Jean Charles and to portray it as best as you can, as you did in that show, gives the viewer... it's so powerful isn't it, drama, to be able to put it into people's houses and to give them multiple perspectives.
"But to see a living version of Jean Charles de Menezes himself, portrayed by Edison so beautifully, I think it's really vital for the show, to connect with people."
Alcaide said he could "really see myself" in the shooting victim. "I feel like I really connected with Jean Charles on so many levels," said the actor.
He added: "This is just a man who was living in London, a Brazilian man, living and completely innocent, just trying to make ends meet at the time. Just like everybody else."
Jean Charles de Menezes was a Brazilian electrician living in London when he was shot and killed at 27. He was waiting at Stockwell Tube station on 22 July 2005 and was mistaken for a terror suspect. He was shot several times in the head.
The following year, the Crown Prosecution Service decided that no officers should be prosecuted over the shooting. However, in 2007, the Met was fined £175,000 and ordered to pay £385,000 costs after it was found that it had breached health and safety rules.
The One Show airs at 7pm on BBC One on weekdays.
Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes is on Disney+ from Wednesday, 30 April.