Catherine de Medici didn’t give a damn about her reputation.
Morton stars as Catherine, both narrating her teen years and portraying the monarch in her adulthood.
“Catherine is like a male character,” Morton tells EW.
Samantha Morton is Catherine de Medici.Starz
“We wanted to approach her like you wouldThe Godfatheror Don Corleone.
You think aboutThe SopranosorThe GodfatherorGoodfellas,they’re always men.”
“She [creator and starPhoebe Waller-Bridge] breaks the fourth wall so brilliantly,” adds Morton.
The younger version of Catherine de Medici as played by Liv Hill.Starz
“It’s not new.
It wasn’t new onFleabag.We’ve always had that breaking the fourth wall, talking to the camera.
But normally I’m just in the moment as a character in everything I’ve ever done.
Diane De Poitiers (Ludivine Sagnier) was famously the mistress of King Henry II.Starz
This was the first time I’d ever done narration.
But I quite liked the fact that it isn’t so stuffy.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You’ve worked a lot in period pieces.
So what was it about this one that attracted you specifically?
SAMANTHA MORTON:I did when I was younger.
I played Jane Eyre when I was 18.
I was 17 when I played Harriet inEmma.
And then I didThe Libertinewith Johnny Depp, which I loved.
And then there was a bit of a gap.
Then I didHarlots, which was early Georgian London.
I’m incredibly proud of that show.
But I don’t really go, “Oh, I’m just going to do costume drama.”
I’m a huge fan of his, and I felt in really safe hands.
And it’s to play the Queen of France.
I mean, I’m 45 years old.
When this came along, I could pinch myself.
The costumes are certainly the best I’ve ever, ever had.
I loved playing Mary, Queen of Scots many years ago, and I loved those.
But these were exceptional, like museum pieces, works of art.
It’s really about the role.
Having spent time with both women, do you admire Mary or Catherine more than the other?
No, it’s all down to interpretation, isn’t it?
Women have been vilified throughout history for being women, and for being strong and making choices.
The show feels very contemporary with that.
I find that really, really sad that that’s how it comes off as.
Mary, Queen of Scots is surviving in her own way.
These women are all surviving in a very male dominated world.
And they have to play very dark games of chess so you can do that.
When you came in, what did you know about Catherine?
What were some of the things that you learned that helped you start to understand who she was?
It’s like, “Oh, I get the opportunity to go back to school.”
I didn’t know anything about Catherine before this show.
I knew the Medici name, because they’re still around today.
And it’s a very famous name to do with the arts.
It was all an incredible surprise.
To be able to put my headphones on and just immerse myself in that book was incredible.
This is historical drama, but it’s not just a novel.
It’s not Charlotte Bronte.
It’s not Jane Austen.
Filming in the heat of the South of France in all of the real chateaus in those costumes.
That was crazy hot.
The south of France is beautiful and stunning, but wearing those clothes, [yikes].
Catherine, at a certain point, only wears black.
She was the first person ever to do that historically.
That was something new to me on a practical level.
On an emotional level, I’ve never played a royal in this way.
Mary, Queen of Scots briefly.
I’ve never played anyone like that.
So I just felt really, really excited for the challenge.
In preparing to play her, what surprised you most about Catherine?
The heartbreak and the love because she’s seen as the Serpent Queen and this villain.
But she had this deep, deep connection to her children and her family and her court.
And she was insanely loyal.
And it doesn’t appear that way.
But in the long haul, you’ll see the long game of it all.
The audience will see why she is the way she is.
Now having played her and lived in her skin, what would you, Sam, have done differently?
Oh, I would have got rid of Diane de Poitiers.
I would not have tolerated her.
But I think she tried her best to get rid of Diane.
She played an incredible game.
That’s the only thing I’d do differently.
Has playing Catherine changed how you view narratives about women in power?
I don’t think it’s changed how I view that.
It’s always about fear.
People do awful things when they’re afraid.
So it’s about freeing people from that fear, educating people.
We love this swashbuckling or whatever."
But actually, they’ll learn a huge amount as well.
It will really educate people.
Everybody wanted to kill her.
Everybody wanted her gone.
There’s [many] reasons that people say you don’t belong in the room.
The show has some fun modern touches, from its music to some of the language of the dialogue.
What did you make of that contemporary flourish?
You want young people to see this as well, so to contemporize it, but not too much.
Something isn’t right.
I can’t feel the truth in it.
Why do you think it’s so in vogue?
I think Justin wanting to do it was because this story is historical.
It’s so far removed that Catherine has to be stoic and cunning and wise all the time.
When you see me play Catherine, you’ll see there’s a stillness to it.
You get to see Catherine in private moments.
She’s saying, “This is how I feel on the inside.”
And that’s really powerful, and it’s almost like having a secret window into the character.
I’m not narrating the show.
What do you hope people take away from the series?
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
