Of all the fantastic things that have come out of Showtime's series, "The Tudors," one of the things I love the most is Natalie Dormer's portrayal of Anne Boleyn. When she first came on to the screen, I admit, I was a bit disappointed, she didn't look like she had it in her to "be" Anne. I have never been so happy to say I could not have been more wrong!
I tend to be a purist about some things, preferring for people cast in historical roles to very closely resemble the person they are portraying. I did not feel that Natalie fit the bill. The first couple of episodes you see her in, there is not much that makes her stand out. But, I soon found out why she was chosen for the role.
Natalie seemed to have an innate sense of everything Anne went through, from start to finish. From being the mysterious new courtier, to the fascinating jewel Henry HAD to possess, to being the King's controversial Mistress, becoming Queen and a mother, and then losing it all at the height of her success. There was no shortage of range of emotion for the role, and Natalie certainly rose to the occasion and far exceeded my expectations. She gave Anne a heart, soul, grit, determination, vulnerability, and showed us many other facets about the late Queen that most people would not have attributed to her, or seen in her. She really put her heart into her role, with a true understanding of what she was undertaking. Michael Hirst really has an uncanny way of finding just the right person for a role, even if you don't agree with him at first.
Until she was cast as Anne Boleyn, I hadn't heard of Natalie Dormer. She had a small role in the film, "Casanova," in 2005, but I had not seen the movie prior to seeing her on "The Tudors. After seeing her as Anne, I rented the movie so I could see her in other roles, and I am looking forward to seeing her in many more!
Natalie Dormer hands down gave the best portrayal of Anne Boleyn I have ever seen, nor probably will see for quite some time, if ever. Her on screen chemistry with Jonathan Rhys Meyers was simply amazing! I feel he didn't have as good of chemistry with any of the other women who portrayed his wives or love interests. Here is a small pic spam in tribute to her fantastic work!
There is a WONDERFUL site where you can find out more about Natalie.... I heartily recommend checking it out if you like her!
http://natalie-dormer.org/
***All images found here:
http://tudorswiki.sho.com/photos
and here:
http://natalie-dormer.org/
As a huge Anne Boleyn history buff (and obsessor!) I had high expectations for Natalie Dormer and I really think she met every one of them! She was just FANTASTIC as Anne and I agree, the best portrayal that I have ever seen! I have read that Natalie did a lot of research for her role to try and capture the true spirit of Anne.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you liked this post! :) I am a very huge Anne obsessor myself, so you will definitely see a lot about her on this blog. I just can't seem to get research her enough!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful how much Natalie Dormer put into the role. It was part of why I was so devastated to see her go at the end of season 2. I can't wait to see what she does with her new role of "Queen Mother"!!!