Even though fans will have to wait till November to see the continuation of The Crown, there’s another exciting tale about royalty that can keep them busy in the meantime. Starz's royal drama series The Serpent Queen aired recently and has already ignited intrigue.
The series follows Catherine de' Medici, who s the French court as a bride and becomes Queen, but her marriage doesn’t turn out to be as smooth as everyone hoped. Various talented actors get to portray the historical figures on the show, who have starred in numerous projects beforehand.
Samantha Morton – The Walking Dead (2010 – 2022)
Stream On Disney+
Samantha Morton plays Catherine de' Medici, the Queen of , in the Starz series. Throughout the show, she deals with marital setbacks that shape the kind of ruler she becomes.
Alpha, one of the best villains of The Walking Dead, is also portrayed by Morton. Parallels can be drawn between both roles as they both involve leadership, with Alpha heading a team known as The Whisperers. Both characters have strained marriages too. Catherine has to bear with the presence of an influential mistress while Alpha goes as far as killing her husband because she considers him weak. However, since Alpha is more of the aggressor while Catherine is 'the aggrieved', fans are likely to lean more towards the latter.
Charles Dance – Game Of Thrones (2011 – 2019)
Stream On HBO Max
Renowned British actor Charles Dance portrays Catherine’s uncle, Pope Clement, who engineers a deal for her to get married to the royal family. Catherine later has a vision of his death.
The veteran actor has had many incredible roles throughout his career, but fans will best him as one of Daenerys Targaryen's worst enemies, Tywin Lannister, in the critically acclaimed HBO series. Dance often gets typecast as villains and even though Pope Clement isn’t as evil as Tywin Lannister, he cannot be considered holy either since his plan for Catherine is influenced by his desire to extract royal benefits for himself.
Ludivine Sagnier – Lupin (2021 – Present)
Stream On Netflix
Catherine’s husband falls in love with Diane de Poitiers, who is played by Ludivine Sagnier. The queen becomes enraged because Diane is twice her husband’s age.
In the popular French series, Lupin, Sagnier stars as Claire, the ex-wife of the protagonist. The complicated relationships of the characters Sagnier plays in both shows are interesting to keep up with as they trigger endless chaos in other people's lives. Given how good the French actress’ performance is, fans wouldn’t be upset if she gets to play more love interests in the future.
Amrita Acharia – Game Of Thrones (2011 – 2019)
Stream On HBO Max
On the show, Amrita Acharia is Aabis, one of the key of the Queen’s entourage. The character is also a Christian convert. Acharia’s other major role, Irri from Game of Thrones, is very similar to that of Aabis.
It’s hard to differentiate Aaabis and Irri since they both serve as female rulers and are humble by nature. With the two characters literally being clones of each other, it would be accurate to presume that Acharia’s performance in the HBO series largely contributed to her getting a part in the Starz series.
Nicholas Burns – The Crown (2016 – Present)
Stream On Netflix
Nicholas Burns plays Antoine de Bourbon, the eldest of two brothers who are in line for the throne, but he isn’t interested. Antoine only wants the privileges that come with being a member of the royal family.
The actor gets to be the British diplomat Anthony Nutting in the Netflix series about the royal family. Interestingly, Antoine and Anthony’s fortunes and desires are the exact opposite of each other. While Antoine has the opportunity to be a major political figure but doesn’t take it, Anthony desires to be great, but a couple of scandals force him to resign, losing everything he held dear. Anthony is proactive too whereas Antoine is simply lazy.
Danny Kirrane – The Sandman (2022)
Stream On Netflix
Danny Kirrane’s character is Louis de Bourbon, who is eager for a member of his family to ascend to the throne. However, his brother Antoine is only keen on drink and sex.
Kirrane has mostly appeared in British productions throughout his career, and it’s only in 2022, that he made a grand entrance to the American market. Apart from being an ambitious brother, the actor also plays one of the best Sandman villains, Fun Land. As an antagonist, Kirrane is also very convincing too as he gets to terrify both viewers and his fictional victims by constantly demonstrating psychotic tendencies.
Beth Goddard – Outlander (2014 – Present)
Stream On Netflix
Beth Goddard has a recurring role as the French noble Antoinette de Bourbon. She later becomes the wife of the Duke of Guise. Goddard is yet another example of casting an actor that has played a similar role before. In Outlander, she is Lousia Dunsany, the wife of Lord William Dunsany.
If not for their nationalities, there exists no major difference between the two characters for now. However, since the series is still in progress, there is a chance for Antoinette to chart her own path.
Sennia Nanua – Casualty (1986 – Present)
Stream On BBC iPlayer
Sennia Nanua is Rahima, the servant girl to who Catherine narrates her life story too. Rahima is often seen carrying the royal tray. Nanua is best known for playing the patient Keely Arnolds in one of the best medical dramas, the BBC series, Casualty.
Casualty has 37 seasons, and numerous actors hence some fans might have a difficult time recalling Nanua's appearances. The fact that her role is a minor one doesn’t help either but as a 19-year-old actress, there is no doubt that bigger roles will come in the future.
Liv Hill – Three Girls (2017)
Stream On BBC iPlayer
British actress Liv Hill's role is that of a young Catherine. Despite coming from a peasant background, Catherine morphs into one of the most powerful people in Europe.
American audiences might not be all too familiar with Hill but in Britain, she is a star, having won a “Best ing Actress” BAFTA for her performance in Three Girls. In the miniseries, she plays Ruby, a girl that becomes a victim of a sex trafficking ring. It’s a role viewers will appreciate more compared to that of a young Catherine since Hill gets to showcase her prowess in bringing out different emotions much better.
Antonia Clark – Catherine The Great (2019)
Stream On HBO Max
Antonia Clark is Mary, the Queen of Scotts. After serving for several years, Mary is forced to abdicate the throne due to a controversy.
Few actors have had the honor of playing both two different medieval queens, so that’s something Clark can be proud of. In Catherine The Great, she plays Maria Feodorovna, the wife of Emperor Paul I. Only a few details have been revealed about Mary so far, so it remains to be seen how similar she will be to Maria. But thanks to Clark’s expertise in handling such roles, there is no doubt Maria will grow to be a likable character too.