The new historical drama premieres June 12 on Starz.
“It’s a massively untold bit of history,” Reiss tells EW.
It felt like massively rich territory, and that’s just in terms of the history.
Nick Briggs/Starz
Elizabeth’s personal story that goes through it is extraordinary also.
I was amazed by how much it feels like it informs who she was later down the line.
I just kept going, ‘Oh, is that why she didn’t get married?
Or is that why she made those decisions over war?’
But it also reshaped who I thought she was."
“The way she observed and learned and then found her way.
She’s the most intelligent woman,” she says.
That’s what I tried to get out [of her] when she’s younger.
And she wanted to be seen as the Virgin Queen."
Particularly, as Elizabeth finds herself embroiled in crushes and questionable romantic liasions.
“This is a story about a teenager who feels she’s an adult,” says Ormond.
“I was struck by how theydidknow she was a child,” adds Reiss.
“My impression was, ‘Everyone got married at like 10 though, didn’t they?’
And that’s really not true.
And now there are these new rules and how are we meant to kind of abide by them?'
And actually, some things have always been true and some things have always been unacceptable.
There is a thread of what is true for humanity and what people feel is right.”
“Edward was equally devoted to Protestantism.
Catherine Parr was profoundly Protestant.
But Mary was in a position to actually do something about it.
The religious persecution of her father’s reign was definitely comparable to the religious persecution of her reign.
But nobody called him ‘Bloody Henry.’
It’s important to remember that history was written by Protestants in Britain.
You have to connect with those ideas in a much more literal way.”
Becoming Elizabethpremieres June 12 at 9 p.m.
