The Netflix fantasy series Cursed is a new take on the Legend of King Arthur. Based on a graphic novel written by Thomas Wheeler and illustrated by Frank Miller, the series stars Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why) in the lead as Nimue, a teenager with special powers who will one day become the fabled Lady of the Lake. In a recent interview with the press, Langford spoke about her love for the character of Nimue.
"[Nimue has] a really incredible and kind of epic journey. On the one hand, she's going through this journey of grief, personal loss, and also personal growth, and [on the other], kind of the greater challenge of overcoming adversity. And one of the greatest things I think I realized during playing Nimue in this series, and in the [Arthurian] stories, is that she kind of represents courage. And I think she's a really colorful beacon and also a really interesting heroine in this world."
Fantasy and comic books have not always been kind to female characters, frequently portraying them as prizes to be won, or overtly sexualized and robbed of personal agency. For Katherine Langford, a part of the reason for taking the role of Nimue was to present a different kind of fantasy heroine.
"It's funny, I've always kind of been a secret lover of fantasy and sci-fi and also Frank Miller. And so when I read kind of the manuscript initially from Tom Wheeler, it was something that I gravitated towards as a reader. [...] This is really the first time that we've seen this story -- an old story -- told through the eyes of a woman, and I just I remember, for me, growing up watching people like Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider and Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games... those kind of role models and characters were so inspiring to me, to be able to see this genre and this particular story told through someone that I can relate to, and other women or girls can relate to, for me is really special."
When filming on the Netflix original was set to begin for the show, Langford had an early run-in with the male-centric nature of the genre Cursed belongs to, and how it fell to her to change that narrative as Nimue.
"When I arrived three weeks before we started filming to learn how to ride horses and sword fight, we were choosing the Sword [of Power] and as we were going through the costumes, they were passing me different swords to try and see how they would fit. And they said, this is Russell Crowe's from Gladiator or this Timotheé Chalamet's, this is Chris Pine's... But then to be able to hold a sword and know that there's a woman out there who is like that now in this universe -- it was just cool."
Cursed stars Katherine Langford, Devon Terrell, Gustaf Skarsgård, Peter Mullan, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Daniel Sharman, Sebastian Armesto, Ella Prebble, Scarlett Rock and Daniella Gad. The series is available to stream now on Netflix. This news first appeared at Comic Book Resources.