Jodie Turner-Smith has reflected on being the first black actress to be cast as Anne Boleyn in Channel 5 s forthcoming three-part drama.
Speaking to Radio Times on Tuesday, The Queen and Slim star, 34, admitted that she knew it might be a stretch for some viewers to see her as the doomed second wife of Henry VIII, but said she was sure others were finally ready to see her in the role.
Jodie is the first black actress to portray Anne, and she follows in the footsteps of Natalie Dormer, Claire Foy and Natalie Portman by playing the historic part. I am aware it s going to be a stretch for some people : Jodie Turner-Smith reflected on being the first black actress to be cast as Anne Boleyn in a new interview on Tuesday
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Talking about the new show stills and the anniversary of Anne Boleyn s death, Jodie said: There s so much about Anne’s legend that people believe – whether it s that she was a witch, she had six fingers, or that she had an incestuous relationship with her brother – we ve seen all these things portrayed in popular culture. I think that for the most part we ve seen (Anne’s) story told through the lens of the other people around her.
Historic: Henry VIII s second wife Anne Boleyn was famously beheaded on 19 May in 1536 for high treason after failing to produce a male heir (Jodie pictured as Anne, right, in still)
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It then shows her in childbirth, desperately asking if her child was a boy before she is seen arguing with King Henry VIII (Mark Stanley) yelling: You promised me sons.
Another character is heard asking Anne if her husband no longer visits her chamber, and King Henry is seen giving Jane Seymour (Lola Petticrew) an affectionate look as he and Anne attend a party.
Doomed: The trailer opens with Thomas Cromwell (Barry Ward) informing Anne she is being charged with treason, to which she immediately pleads not guilty
Events: It also shows her in childbirth, desperately asking if her child was a boy , Anne famously gave birth to Elizabeth who went on to be the Queen of England
The trailer for
Edge of the World has been released!
Based on a true story, the 43-year-old Irish actor plays Sir James Brooke, who defies the British Empire to rule a jungle kingdom in the colonial, historic thriller directed by
Michael Haussman.
Here’s the full synopsis: “In 1839, Brooke flees Victorian England to explore Borneo. After a pirate attack, Brooke allies with rival princes to seize a rebel fort. To save prisoners from beheading, Brooke agrees to be crowned Rajah. James begs the Royal Navy for a steamship to fight pirates, but the British want his kingdom as a colony. Makota’s pirates massacre Brooke’s capital, leaving James half-dead. To save his people, he must shed Englishness and embrace the jungle: “All of it, the beauty and the blood.”
Anne Boleyn FIRST LOOK: Jodie Turner-Smith awaits her fate as Henry VIII s doomed second wife in teaser for thrilling mini series - after becoming the first black actress to play the role
The Queen and Slim actress, 34, can be seen making her way through the castle as Henry VIII s doomed second wife
The upcoming series - scheduled to air later this year - explores the final moments of the queen s life from her perspective
The three-part miniseries, by Fable Pictures, Channel 5 and Sony Pictures TV, is expected to air later this year
Jodie has been cast as the first black actress to play Henry VIII s second wife in a bid to challenge conventions