Jodie Turner-Smith has more about talked about playing historical English aristocrat Anne Boleyn in an untitled upcoming series on UK network Channel 5.
In a recent interview with Elle Magazine, Turner-Smith said that she wants to tell a story about the woman behind the legend of the queen who was beheaded by King Henry VIII.
“We can only infer who she was because she left no paper trail that would hint at her imagination,” said Turner-Smith. “She’s endlessly fascinating for that reason…[I want to] tell the story of the woman who sits at the center of the myth, and make that story an accessible one–one that’s not entirely about class, but about humanity.”
“Because whether a woman is a queen or a housekeeper, she is not exempt from any of the challenges and trials that women face in navigating their bodies, love or the patriarchy,” she continued. “There’s an opportunity to tell a really human story and for it to feel that much more accessible because a Black woman is playing her.”
The TV project includes a diverse cast, including I May Destroy You‘s Paapa Essiedu, Two Weeks to Live‘s Thalissa Teixeira and West End Hamilton star Jamael Westman. Eve Hedderwick Turner will write the script with Lynsey Miller directing.
