Samantha Morton on Catherine de Medici: ‘She was a survivor’

During her research, Samantha Morton realized that Catherine de Medici transcends pop culture in unimaginable ways. “When you see the evil stepmother in the Snow White story looking through the magic mirror, you won’t realize that Catherine de Medici did it before,” Samantha says over video call from the south of England.

Samantha, who played the 16th-century French queen in the drama series, admitted that she got a little tired of talking for a few days, snake queen, Says, “Katherine always had a mirror and was the first person who looked at it and asked to see her fate. The poison apple in Snow White also comes from that. She was the first person to wear black for mourning, She was the first to wear shorts under her clothes, wear high heels, and use a knife and fork.”

being a magpie

If someone is doing a biopic of someone who has recently died, or even is alive, the Academy-Award nominated actor says, video or audio footage and photographs are to be mentioned. “You can jump to the source material very easily. When a person has been dead for hundreds of years (laughs mildly), you can see historical information about them, but it’s really open to interpretation.

It’s amazing to use one’s imagination and work with writers to create characters, says Samantha. “To look at the things written about him and collect it like a magpie, any small pieces or nuggets of information and bring it together and turn him into a person.”

last survivor

Describing Katherine as a survivor, Samantha says, ‘People wanted to kill her from birth. She was a child bride who was sent to France to marry a prince. When she arrived at the court for being Italian, she was not welcomed. He had to learn quickly how to survive. She says, Catherine had been doing this since childhood for a few years. “She learned many languages ​​while she was living in the convent. She became shrewd and clever in all kinds of different skills to persevere and survive.”

The 45-year-old actor says that his initial research process involved listening to audiobooks, Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France (2004) by Leonie Frida. “That was the first thing I did after reading the script. It was also important for me to talk to Justin Heath, the creator of the series. We are not making any docu-drama, it is still entertainment. It’s still television. He, as a brilliant playwright, has to take these factual things we know about history, and turn it into television. There was a constant relationship and dialogue with Justin on how to achieve this. ,

telling tales through costume

Karen Muller Sereau, who designed the costumes, is different from anyone Samantha has worked with before. “She works differently. She works with fabric, body and draping fabric all over you. Her pictures in her little pad are so beautiful. She senses texture, light, sunlight and moonlight and the light of the cinema.” How it works with clothes and how it affects them.”

Each character had a theme, sweet and savory Actors say. “Mary Queen of Scots was in a lot of Chanel tartan, which I thought was fabulous, brave and wonderful. Diane de Poitiers, played brilliantly by Ludivin Sagnier, was in black and white. There are a lot of emotional reasons why that character Why only wears black and white. My character, at a certain point, wears only black, without taking away any spoilers. I thought it was exciting and devastating,” she says.

The show was shot in several real locations, including the Château de Chenonceau, where Catherine lived. “Just seeing the splendor of the architecture, and the fact that she lived there, touched those walls, and walking on those paving slabs was extraordinary. I found that memorable and beautiful. I felt proud and honored. You put it in the walls.” , can feel by looking at the gardens designed by him.”

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