Femme fatale Elizabeth Hurley spills the beans on her deadliest role yet

Elizabeth Hurley has spent decades carving out a career bringing characters to life who are as ruthless as they are charming.

From playing a secret agent in Austin Powers to seducing as the Devil in Bedazzled, the 60-year-old has perfected the art of the femme fatale.

But now, she takes on her deadliest role yet as ‘The Deceased’ in The Inheritance, Channel 4’s new series that’s set to rival The Traitors as one of the most cutthroat shows on TV.

‘I enjoyed doing it very much because all of my part was scripted. I’ve never done anything unscripted, and I’m not sure I’d be very good at it,’ Elizabeth tells Metro when comparing her lead role in the gameshow to her previous performances.

‘I like my character very much. She’s not me, but I could see some similarities in places. I don’t think she suffered fools gladly. That was quite fun to do. She’s definitely not a bad guy.’

In a storyline that feels reminiscent of an aristocratic drama like Brideshead Revisited or Knives Out, The Inheritance follows the demise of a mysterious benefactor known as The Deceased (aka, Elizabeth).

Elizabeth Hurley has another cunning role under her belt in The Inheritance (Picture: Simon Webb/Channel 4) Barrister Rob Rinder stars on the show as The Executor (Picture: Channel 4)

Following her death, 13 contestants enter her estate vying to win her vast fortune, in a competition overseen by The Executor (played by barrister and TV personality Rob Rinder).

The Deceased pre-recorded videos outlining the challenges that the competitors need to take part in to try and win chunks of her money.

However, as one might expect, there are all sorts of twists lurking around the corner – including the fact that after each challenge, the contestants need to try and convince everyone else that they deserve to be the sole recipient of that task’s winnings.

The first time that Elizabeth saw the competitors in action was after filming had taken place – and she had no qualms with deciding who she liked and who she didn’t.

The 13 contestants have been revealed… (Picture: Simon Webb/Channel 4 /PA Wire)

‘I haven’t seen a lot of gameshows. I’ve only actually seen The Traitors and the first episode of this one,’ the Gossip Girl star admits.

‘I was really impressed with how involved I felt with the contestants’ journeys as I watched it, because I didn’t actually think that would be the case.

‘I really became involved just on episode one. I had very strong opinions about who I like and who I don’t like, because all my stuff was pre-recorded for them to watch. When I watch each episode, I have no idea what they’re doing. I think the contestants have been very skillfully chosen by the studio.’

The Executor Rob, 47, adored working with the ‘heavenly’ Elizabeth… even from beyond the grave.

Rob described Elizabeth as ‘absolutely heaven’ (Picture: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock for Channel 4) Elizabeth’s beau Billy Ray Cyrus was there to support her at the premiere of the Channel 4 show (Picture: Anthony Harvey/Rex Features/Shutterstock for Channel Four)

‘She is absolutely heaven. I think she should be a grade one listed national treasure. Don’t you think?’ he says at the launch event for the new series.

As a legal professional, Rob was convinced he’d be able to predict how the game would play out… but quickly realised that he was completely mistaken.

‘I thought I’m a great predictor of human behaviour. I did this for a living. I would cross-examine people, often in times when they might have been telling the truth. One of my great skills is making them be perceived as dishonest, so I really can read people,’ he shares.

‘I failed totally in this, in that throughout, every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, turns out that I was wrong.’

The Inheritance premieres tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.

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