‘Tony Soprano’: The Serpent Queen is coming to Starzplay

On paper, one might think that The Serpent Queen is another American historical series about French history. Apart from the fact that it stands out from others with its tone and certain panache. Meet Justin Haight, creator of the series, and the two actors who play the mischievous young and adult Catherine: Liv Hill and Samantha Morton.

AlloCiné: Justin, what inspired you to write this series?

Justin Haight : This is a book by Leonie Frida, Catherine de’ Medici – Queen of the French Renaissance. I saw in her an ultra-modern woman. A woman with power, as we see more and more today. At that time, he fought so much to save and protect his children who were reigning in France.

And then, she’s the anti-heroine. He’s a bit like Tony Soprano or a female Michael Corleone. He was really ready for anything to survive. I found him fascinating and wanted to bring his story to life on screen.

To me, the idea of ​​royalty is absurd. As if God chose one person to represent him and rule over everyone else, that’s ridiculous. And it’s important to show that this state of mind continues. It’s absurd, but we can clearly see that the monarchy still fascinates.

What kind of challenge was adapting Leonie Frida’s book?

Justin Haight : This is such a book that is full of details and information. It is almost 500 pages and it is a masterpiece. So I had to take some liberties to dramatize that content while staying true to the historical events. It was important to me to honor the history of France and honor this great woman, whether we like it or not.

Catherine’s epic is incredible, from her 14-year-old arrival from Italy to marry King Henry II of France to her death at 69. What a life! A life that brought him nearly 40 years of reign in France through his sons. This fate is incredible, even if she sometimes felt cursed, especially because she had difficulty giving birth.

How did you get into the complex skin of Catherine de Medici?

Liv Hill : For me it passed in his gaze. While studying his paintings, I noticed that there is an intensity in his eyes that seems to be constantly alert. Probably because of the danger he was facing. He was always alert and on his toes. Therefore, I tried to interpret it from this point of view.

I discovered that Catherine was from an orphanage, and this allowed me to imagine that she must have had a reserved step up to queenship. As a queen, she becomes more self-assured and self-confident. It is a power pose that dominates.

Samantha Morton : My many conversations with Justin Haight and director Stasi Passon allowed me to better understand who Catherine was and what she represented. Every now and then my character talks directly to the camera and it was a little destabilizing at first because it forced me to “step out” of my character. But I quickly got used to it and the rest of the filming went well.

How was Catherine de Medici a modern woman and how is this current news series?

Liv Hill : The filming of the series gives a modern twist to this mural with characters talking to the camera. Themes are also relevant, such as being an outsider in a foreign world. Along with it, the theme of immigrants is highlighted and how difficult it is to integrate into a society that is not your own.

Even if the inequality between women and men was even more acute at the time, it is clear that it is still an ongoing struggle. And then the series talks about the political corruption of the time, and it can only resonate with all the corrupt regimes that destabilize us.

Catherine was truly an anti-heroine and she surprises with her modernity and fighting spirit. Traits that are sometimes the hallmark of women in power in our modern societies.

Samantha Morton : She started out as a woman who comes out of nowhere and became the queen we know. He tried to make peace and give his kingdom as much stability as possible. She is as strong a woman as there is in politics today. In this sense, she is a modern woman and ahead of her time. Because in this period of history, women were not equal to men in any way and had no rights.

What did you learn about Catherine and this period that surprised you?

Samantha Morton : Everything surprised me because I am not a historian and I did not know anything about its history and this period. Catherine was the founder of freedom of conscience for Protestants in France and she established freedom of worship. He was also a great patron of the arts. He was always surrounded by artists, poets, musicians and writers.

It was a great honor to play Catherine de’ Medici, especially since 20 years ago no one would have wanted to play the role in costume. Some people thought I was too “middle class”. Well, look at me now: I am the queen of France!