Now STARZ revisits the subject of the many-storied monarch in Becoming Elizabeth but with a fresh take. Rather than examine Elizabeth I during the Gloriana years, Becoming Elizabeth will explore the teenage years of the orphaned daughter of Henry VIII before she rose to power and was crowned queen of England as it looks at the early events in her life that made her into the woman she became. Becoming Elizabeth opens with young Elizabeth Tudor (Alicia von Rittberg) only 14 years old when her father King Henry VIII dies, and her 9-year-old brother Edward (Oliver Zetterström) ascends to the throne. This was a turbulent time in England’s history and sets into motion a dangerous scramble for power when Elizabeth, Edward, and their sister Mary (Romola Garai) find themselves pawns in a game between the great families of England who vie for control of the country. Following her father’s death, Elizabeth moved into the home of King Henry’s widow, Catherine Parr (Jessica Raine), and while there was true affection between the two, it was also a power move to ensure Catherine’s position at court. Catherine is spurred on by Thomas Seymour (Tom Cullen), who has his own struggle for recognition, as his brother, the Duke of Somerset (John Heffernan), loses no time in claiming the position of Lord Protector for himself when Henry dies. In the interview below, von Rittberg shares her thoughts on why this project is different than other stories of Elizabeth; how, despite the age difference, she is able to play a 14-year-old; her feelings about Elizabeth’s relationships with Catherine Parr and Thomas Seymour, and more. There are so many projects that are based on Elizabeth’s life. What is it about this that’s going to be new? Well, it is the story about her early years, and I was astonished at how little I could find even researching it. It was never taught. I think it’s beautiful how you can get closer to the actual person, the human behind the queen we know from the books by talking about her early years. You’re 28 playing 14. How hard is that for you as an actress? That’s more than a decade age difference. I think it just really helped to remember that she was wise beyond her years. Because her duty demanded that of her, I think she held a lot more responsibilities, a lot more responsibility than I would have had when I was 14. So, probably she was already a little older than we would be when we were 14. Other than that, I tried to work on a younger energy. I talked to my movement coach about it, and she was like, “Imagine when you were younger, you were not distracted by 3,000 things. You weren’t like, ‘I have to do the laundry later and I wanted to write this email, and what am I going to cook?’ Just focus on one thing and one thing alone, and then the energy that comes with that, that’s what you need." That’s all I could do, and I tried. As mentioned, this starts with Elizabeth at 14, who didn’t really know her mother Anne Boleyn that well because she was executed when Elizabeth was very young. But people in this keep referring to her mother as the Great Whore. How does that affect her development and shape her going forward? Well, I think the things is that this prejudice about her mother basically followed her all her life, and it’s just something she, on one hand, tried to get rid of or not be influenced by, and on the other hand, she didn’t want to deny that Anne was her mother and that there was love as well. There is no black and white. There is no villain or a hero. And I think the same with the relationship to her mother. Even though she’s dead, it’s not just like hate or regret or pain, but it’s also love, and something she wants to carry with her and not hide. I love that complexity and those gray tones in that story. Catherine Parr did take Elizabeth into her house and became like a surrogate mother. Part of the reason she took her in was for power, because Elizabeth was the king’s daughter. But do you think that the bond that they formed was a real mother-daughter bond? I think Elizabeth was so lost during that time. It was such a dangerous life she was born into, and then dropped into when her father died as well. Catherine Parr was the person that got closest to being a mother figure for her. I’m sure she did love her and I’m sure she did very much respect her. And I think that’s also because she wanted to have that person to take care of her and to trust in. But little did she know. That’s why it’s even more painful to watch the downside of that relationship as well, and the manipulation and the challenge. Many historians say Thomas Seymour abused Elizabeth. Would you agree with that? I think the relationship was incredibly complex and wrong, and I think that the age and power dynamics were not right. So, I think it is a very difficult relationship that I think was portrayed so carefully in those books, and I just really hope we can show that in the show as well. You do want to fall in love with that guy, and you at some point wake up. Even as an audience, as much as Elizabeth herself, you wake up and you go, “How could I be fooled that way? How could I myself be manipulated that way into liking that guy?” This is a period drama. How much do the costumes and the settings help immerse you in the life? There was such little imagination necessary because it was brilliant. Every department tried to be as historically accurate as possible. So, with the costumes, for example, I wore six to eight layers every day and I was sewn into my costumes. The rest of the team hated it because it took so much time, but for me it was just so important to put on those different layers of the character. It gives you a different posture, it gives you a different pace because it’s heavy, you have to work it. And I think the same with locations, lights, and cameras. Everything was lit by candles or natural light, and the camera would move in 360 degrees. So, if you’d shoot in that direction and then something interesting happens in the opposite direction, you would just pan around. I think that made it for all of us so there was no moment where you’re like, “I’m just quickly thinking about something completely different or having a rest.” That just didn’t exist. We were just all so in there and completely lost ourselves in this world. The sets were so beautiful, we all felt so lucky to be on set and be a part of this. Becoming Elizabeth will air exclusively on STARZ and the STARZ app beginning June 12.
