Why A Gentleman in Moscow should be your next series to binge

It’s a magical performance that all started with a moustache. When Ewan McGregor was cast as Count Alexander Rostov, the Russian aristocrat at the heart of new mini-series A Gentleman in Moscow, he let the follicles on his upper lip grow wild. By the time he stepped on to set, the Scot was the proud owner of a truly epic tache – a crucial detail for a dapper character who, aptly enough, finds himself in a hairy situation.

Based on Amor Towles’ best-selling novel, A Gentleman in Moscow sees the wealthy Count Rostov end up on the wrong side of history in the wake of the 1917 Russian Revolution. Spared an immediate audience with a firing squad, he’s instead banished by a Bolshevik tribunal to a poky attic room in the otherwise opulent hotel across the road from the Kremlin with clear instructions to stay inside or be killed.

While one of the most tumultuous periods in Russian history rages around him, Count Rostov spends his days exploring his gilded cage, bumping into those who live and work at the hotel – including nine-year-old Nina (Alexa Goodall) and actress Anna (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) – and discovering the importance of community and friendship in the face of the dangers lurking outside.

A captivating environment

Part historical drama, part fairy tale, A Gentleman in Moscow is a heart-warming story made even more enchanting by the plush backdrop created by production designer Victor Molero. More than just a setting, the labyrinthine hotel is very much a character in itself.

With Towles describing the hotel in vivid detail in his book, the small-screen production had a template of what was needed. Only one problem – no building in the world could match Count Rostov’s new digs, so it was decided that constructing an intricate set would be the best way to bring Towles’ vision to life. From the hotel’s grand atriums and restaurants to Count Rostov’s room in the attic, Molero and his team stayed true to the source material while adding a few new design flourishes.

Honey, I’m on set

With some gorgeous costume design matching the impressive set, the cast could comfortably step back in time, with each performance jumping off the screen. Naturally, the chemistry between Count Rostov and Anna will draw the most attention, with husband-and-wife team Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead appearing on screen together. And while having spouses on set can sometimes create problems, McGregor couldn’t have been happier with the arrangement, the actor recently telling chat show host Seth Meyers: “If you have to get up at 4.30am in the morning to go to work, it’s nice to be able to hold your wife’s hand on the way in.”

Growing concern

Being up at the crack of dawn is, of course, par for the course for the award-winning actor whose commitment to his craft has been apparent since his breakthrough role in Trainspotting almost 30 years ago.

To get Count Rostov’s posture right throughout his life sentence at the hotel, McGregor worked with a movement coach, revealing to Vanity Fair: “We did these extreme exercises of being very, very old and then very young, and thinking about our characters in different stages of their life.”

Another part of his physical transformation was being given a memorable head of hair – something that involved McGregor going to London, getting a perm and dyeing the locks a dark brown. When it comes to the star’s portrayal of the beloved literary character, nothing has caused a bigger stir, however, than that lush moustache. And a bit like Count Rostov in his hotel, the facial hair wasn’t merely a case of here today, gone tomorrow. Delays caused by an actors’ strike meant McGregor had to sport his verdant lip foliage for a year and a half.

A Gentleman in Moscow is streaming now on Paramount+ and will debut on British Airways flights this summer