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The Serpent Queen is a period drama unlike anything that's on television at the moment. We go back in time through the pages of history, chronicling Catherine de Medici's terrifying rise to power.
While historians have vilified and demonized her, the series attempts to humanize her and show how every move she made was to ensure her survival. Portraying this complicated and misunderstood character is Samantha Morton, perhaps the only actor qualified to do so. The Walking Dead and Fantastic Beasts star brings her unique take to this adaptation, which is just as captivating as all her other roles.
SK POP had the opportunity to speak to the living legend ahead of the show's premiere.
Readers, kindly note that The Serpent Queen premieres Sunday, September 11, at midnight on the STARZ app and all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms. It will premiere internationally on the STARZPLAY premium streaming platform across all territories.
On linear television, it will debut on STARZ at 8:00 ET/PT in the US and Canada.
The Serpent Queen star sheds light on the complicated character of Catherine de Medici
Despite de Medici's story birthing the character of the Evil Stepmother in Snow White, Morton believes that she was simply misunderstood. Her interest in nature and herbs could not be grasped by most.
"Yes, I think that's interesting. I too, when I was learning about the show, I was like oh my god, that's the Grimm fairy tale. All she was, was somebody that understood nature, and she was trying to connect to God in the only way she knew how. Through spiritualism. Through the ways of... kind of...the Western way of doing it wasn't something she was familiar with."
The Serpent Queen is based on the book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda. Before taking up the role, Morton discovered:
"You know she was somebody that wants to learn about herbs and mushrooms and trees and listening to nature, you know in an almost primal way. She's more pagan than anything else. And that historically has always been vilified."
Ever so eloquent, Samantha Morton also explained how it is human nature to vilify what we do not understand, especially in the case of women.
"Anybody that has anything to do with talking about crystals or we're going to light some incense or we're going to smudge a room because of the energy or we're going to breathe, or we're going to settle, or we're going to understand ourselves. The Church didn't want you to do that. So, she was vilified in the same way that midwives were vilified."
She continued,
"Women have been vilified just for being women, or being loving, or empathetic or maybe having some attitude. We're not allowed that."
Morton also addressed the comparisons between Snow White's "evil stepmother" and The Serpent Queen, bringing up de Medici's infamous mirror, the one that supposedly revealed her future:
"But I think in Snow White, what that's referring to is the magic mirror. And she had a mirror that she would famously look into to ask questions. And that's a reflection of the soul, isn't it? That's like saying, when you're looking into a pond and you stand and look at the sea and you've maybe had a bad day, you could get to the ocean or you're just there going (breathes) breathing it in."
Morton pointed out that while male wizards were venerated, witches were demonized. The Serpent Queen star elaborated:
"And all that is, is about power. She's asking for her inner voice to talk to her. To talk cuz this is what dreams are about. She is just very very powerful. And I think men in history, wizards like Gandalf...oh they're so amazing and how kind and they're wise."
No stranger to playing a woman that does not fit in with the norm (Alpha in The Walking Dead), The Serpent Queen star Morton emphasized how her character's decisions were the only ones she could make in the moment. This awe-stricken reporter could only nod when she addressed him by name and stated how fascinating Catherine de Medici was.
"Women are always gnarly. They've always got cats and snakes, you know what I mean? Oh, come on. So I think the show hopefully does put a lot of that to bed in regards to what the poster says - Tell me what you would have done differently. This is my story. How would you have done it? So I think she's fascinating Riju. She's absolutely fascinating."
The Serpent Queen attempts to humanize a historical figure who was portrayed as a monster. Viewers can now derive their own conclusions as to whether the comparisons are justified or not.
