Burton and Taylor

Robert Hardy, a veteran character actor and an old friend of Burton, described West's performance as "hopeless," saying "he wasn't tough enough, he wasn't dangerous enough, he wasn't Welsh enough." However, he appreciated Bonham-Carter's performance, saying she was "brilliant, absolutely brilliant" because she "got the spirit of her and sounded like her."

Burton recalls filming "Cleopatra" with Taylor in Hollywood. Actually, the film was made in Rome.

Epilogue:  "Shortly after Private Lives completed its run, Elizabeth Taylor publicly and defiantly entered the Betty Ford clinic. It was the first time a celebrity had been open about going into rehab.  Richard returned to Switzerland and enjoyed one of the most contented periods of his life, married to Sally Burton.  Nine months later, he died suddenly of a cerebral haemorrhage.  He never played King Lear.  Richard and Elizabeth spoke on the phone every few days in the months leading up to his death."