Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Armitage as Richard III: Who Should Play Queen Anne




We’re in Day Three of the FanstRAvaganza 3 in THE KING RICHARD ARMITAGE tagteam chain! If you missed Day One and Day Two check out the posts at Fly High and Crispin's Eclipse.


Stained Glass - York Minster


If a series or film based on the historical Richard III of England with the king played by Richard Armitage becomes a reality, then who would be cast to play his wife Anne Neville
 (Note: Scroll down to the bottom of the post for poll results- 3/18/12)

Anne Neville (1456 – 1485) was first married to Edward of Westminster and was Princess of Wales and later Queen of England as wife of King Richard III. She had just one son, Edward (1474?-1484), with Richard III who died as a child. Anne died only a few months before her husband was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth (1485).


Anne was a member of the powerful northern English Neville family. Her father was Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick.  She knew Richard, then Duke of Gloucester, when they were both children and was briefly betrothed to him when she was 14 until her father changed sides and married her to Edward to secure the alliance with his mother, Margaret of Anjou. The history of Anne and Richard is long and complicated by politics and war and you can read more about it in the King Richard Armitage website HERE.





Anne Neville was buried in Westminster Abbey and on the wall is a memorial erected by the Richard III Society in 1960 with this description:

“In person she was seemly, amiable and beauteous…And according to the interpretation of her name Anne full gracious” REQUIESCAT IN PACE.
(Source: Onthetudortrail.com)

Anne Neville


From what I’ve been able to research there is no accurate portrait or detailed physical description of Anne Neville. In most romanticized versions of her she’s portrayed as being a brunette, though one of the portraits below has her as a redhead. But in those days artists would portray royal personages without ever having seen them.  




Richard III and Queen Anne

Richard III and Queen Anne

Detail from image above - Cardiff Castle Wales


Thinking about who should be cast as Anne Neville to Richard Armitage's Richard III I thought of actors that would be a good match for him in age range, screen presence, and ability. Below is my top three list to play Queen Anne:



Paloma Baeza 




Richard Armitage fans know Baeza for playing Lucas North's Russian ex-wife Elizaveta Starkova.  Of the three women that played love interests to Lucas North in Spooks to me she had the best chemistry with Richard on screen.  She is a graduate of English and Performing Arts from Bristol University and has had roles in several period and historical films and series including playing Bathsheba in Far from the Madding Crowd (1998) and  Kitty in Anna Karenina (2000). It would be great to see Baeza and Armitage together again on screen.





Michelle Dockery





Seems like the entire world knows Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary in the very popular TV series Downton Abbey.  Though there is more of an age difference between Dockery and Armitage than there was between Richard III and Anne Neville they are both strong actors and would make the relationship believable on screen. She is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.  She and Armitage have a connection since she's played Erminia Whythe in the TV series Cranford and he of course was John Thornton in North and South, both series based on the novels by Elizabeth Gaskell. 







Hattie Morahan





American audiences probably know her best for playing Elinor Dashwood in the 2008 version of Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility.  Morahan graduated from Cambridge University and has an extensive career on the stage and British television, beginning with her role in The Peacock Spring (1996) at sixteen, directed by her father. I liked her portrayal of Elinor Dashwood and have since seen her in several other UK television series. Her naturalness on screen is very similar to Armitage's own and I think they would be a good match. 



The Poll

So what do you think about the three choices above?  Look at the right hand sidebar and vote on the poll for your favorite of the three, or vote "other" and make your suggestion through the comments below.

I will update this post with post results on March 18.


Update - March 18


Results of Poll - Who should play Anne Neville?


The Winner is:  


Other with 34% of the vote

Suggestions from the comments:

Natalie Portman (Bccmee)
Julianne Moore (Gratiana)
Lucy Griffiths (Anonymous)
Kate Winslet (Anonymous)

Runner Up:

 Hattie Morahan with 30% of the vote

Third Place:

A  tie for Paloma Baeza and Michelle Dockery with 17% each

Thank you to everyone who voted


For more of THE KING RICHARD ARMITAGE In FanstRA 3 see Fly High and Crispin's Eclipse . Tomorrow The KR tagteam continues at Me + Richard Armitage. All F3 links can be found here.


Please support Richard Armitage’s effort by signing this petition and encouraging potential financiers and production investors to support the “Richard III” project - see link below.


http://kingrichardarmitage.rgcwp.com/petition-for-richard-iii/ 




26 comments:

  1. Before I scrolled down to the choices Dockery popped into my head. Great minds... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting These are all choices that would never have occurred to me (as you know, lol!), so I'll have to think about it a little more. I would throw Baeza off the list immediately, she has the absolute wrong vibe for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what makes it fun!
      LOL! When Richard III makes it to the screen we'll have to see which one of us read the mind of the makers.

      Delete
  3. I voted "other." It would be great to see Richard Armitage reunited with Natalie Portman from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The movie can be called Richard III and the II Nephews. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a great title! George Lucas may be looking for new work, this just might be it :)
      Good choice Natalie Portman!

      Delete
  4. I would vote for Michelle Dockery. I think she's brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Fabo,
    How about an actress closer in age to Richard Armitage? The American Actress Julianne Moore did a credible British accent in "The Ideal Husband". And she would be a worthy and regal onscreen partner for RA. And, she looks much younger than her chronological age. Here is her IMDB profile link
    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000194/

    Cheers! Grati ;->

    P.S. Though, I voted for Michelle Dockery before I thought of Julianne. Ha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Grati!
      I also like Julianne Moore and she would be a great choice also.

      Delete
  6. Thoughtful choices,Fabo! Thanks!:)
    I voted for Hattie Morahan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your voting Joanna! I'm looking forward to the results.

      Delete
  7. I'm going to have to think about the actresses a little more - maybe Michelle Dockery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! Of course you can also suggest someone else that I may not have thought about to add to the list :)

      Delete
  8. Perhaps Hattie Morahan, though the other two are very talented performers. It would be lovely to see Paloma and Richard together again, though...

    fitzg

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    Replies
    1. Thanks fitzg! I hadn't really noticed Hattie before S&S, but since I've seen her in other UK series. Thanks!

      Delete
  9. Maybe Hattie Morahan but I wouldn't mind Michelle Dockery either. Anyway, guess what? If the project comes to reality, I'd be so happy that I wouldn't mind even Paloma Baeza :-)

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    Replies
    1. LOL! Thanks Maria - hey maybe Paloma might surprise everyone!

      Delete
  10. I'm thinking Hattie Morahan, of these choices.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think Hattie Morahan would be a great choice. I like her as an actress and she has a wonderful voice - and we do like wonderful voices.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello! I love wonderful voices too - and together with Richard's voice...!

      Delete
  12. I would love to see Lucy Griffiths get the role. IMHO she and Richard had great chemistry in Robin Hood. But in this case her character would be able to get the guy (pun both intended and incidental).

    Or, thinking away from actressed RA has worked with before, I think Kate Winslet could be a good choice.

    Failing those two choices, as I'm a brunette, I'd be happy to volunteer to audition. LOL. It's a tough job and all that. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Two great choices! would also love to see Lucy and RA together again.

      (I'm a brunette as well!)

      Delete
  13. Sadly the poll has closed but if I had voted I would have chosen Paloma Baeza too.

    RA has had great chemistry with many of his leading ladies but on screen with Paloma they were like true soul mates. And since Richard III and Neville had grown up together as kids there was a deeper love between them that was more than just attraction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello! I'm sorry the poll was closed.
      As you know by my post, I thought the same about Paloma and RA in Spooks, and how it might be with the two of them as R3 and Anne -you put it so very well.

      Delete

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