“If you don’t teach your enemies a lesson, they’ll never learn,” muses Catherine de Medici early on The Serpent Queen, the wickedly fun period drama hitting Starz this month. And, as played with brilliant conviction by Samantha Morton (The Walking Dead, Harlots, Minority Report) you’d be foolish not to believe her.
The Serpent Queen, dubbed “a historical drama with an edge,” puts a contemporary spin on conventional storytelling to illuminate the rise of Catherine de Medici, who was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 and one of the most powerful women of the 16th century. Everything from the cast to the storytelling shines here in a lavish, well-executed endeavor that pulls the viewer in and doesn’t let go. With a premiere episode titled, “Medici Bitch,” you know you’re in for a wild ride.
The series hails from writer and executive producer Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road, Red Sparrow, The Lone Ranger), who weaves a deliciously addictive tale based on Leonie Frieda’s book “Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France.” Erwin Stoff (The Matrix, 13 Hours, Edge of Tomorrow) and Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games films), are on board as executive producers, infusing this outing with all the cinematic and stylistic period-piece spectacle you’d imagine from their past projects. In fact, The Serpent Queen is wondrous in many ways, Morton, as Catherine, commands every scene she’s in — Liv Hill (Three Girls, Jellyfish) is a treasure to watch playing younger Catherine. Stacie Passon (Transparent, Dickinson, Billions) directs multiple episodes and serves as executive producer.
“What surprised me going into this, was that it’s called ‘The Serpent Queen,” Hill said. “The connotations are of evil, deceit, and manipulation. So, it's not exactly a nice thing to be called. I thought, ‘Am I playing this sort of evil queen?’ I quickly discovered that was a very one-dimensional way of viewing it. Catherine was very vulnerable at times and could be very detached from emotion. She was strong — and weak. It was a true gift to play a multi-layered character.”
Liv Hill on Playing Catherine de Medici
Catherine de Medici was far from boring. At 14, the young, orphaned Catherine married into the 16th-century French court, thanks to her uncle, Pope Clement’s (Charles Dance) savvy negotiating skills. A large dowry helped. So did a geopolitical alliance in return for the marriage. Heirs, too, which became an issue early on—Catherine learns, on her honeymoon no less, that her husband, Henry II, is in love with Diane de Poitiers (played here by Ludivine Sagnier), who’s twice his age.
The creators pull out all the stops with the series. The all-star cast includes Colm Meaney (King Francis), Kiruna Stamell (Mathilde), Barry Atsma (Montmorency), Alex Heath (young Henry), Danny Kirrane (Louis de Bourbon), Nicolas Burns (Antoine de Bourbon) and many others.
“I was surprised at who The Serpent Queen really was and is here,” Hill admitted. “Catherine was an outsider. She was trying to find a sense of belonging, and through unwavering self-belief in herself, she managed. She became one of the longest reigning monarchs in the whole of France. I believe the series gives people an opportunity to see this historic character with some compassion, especially for her choices. And to be inspired to be resilient in their own lives.”
The Serpent Queen floats back and forth through time. When Catherine (as played by Morton) takes a liking to a young servant girl (Sennia Nanua), she soon begins to share her remarkable life story with her — from the time she was considered a common immigrant to becoming one of the most influential and shrewdest women to ever wear a shiny crown.
“Catherine was belittled, degraded, and emotionally and physically abused,” Hill pointed out. “And yet she still has that unwavering belief in herself. I found myself very inspired by that — to play that bravery and resilience. It’s like that phrase, ‘Don't let the bastards grind you down.’ And that's what the whole series is about, really. That's what I hope to take into my own life.”
Hill didn’t know much about the queen before coming into the role. She’d go on to read a good portion of Freida’s book to understand the character’s nuances. “I also had some discussions of direction with Samantha beforehand, and I filled in the rest of it with my imagination,” she added.
While many things stand out, the costume and set pieces are exceptional in every episode.
“The costumes are extraordinary,” Hill went on. “I remember seeing the whole workshop were how they were handmade. And it was filled with people at the top of their game. Wearing the clothes made me feel more powerful in a sense, but physically, it took maybe an hour each day just to get the corsets on and all the different layers.”
Justin Haythe and Erwin Stoff on Samantha Morton as The Serpent Queen
Haythe’s writing is sharp and effective throughout the series. And, in collaboration with Stoff on the executive producing front, they create a fascinating showcase about a compelling woman.
“Really, Catherine’s story dictated how to tell it because once you delve into her story, for me, the immediate discovery was how modern she is,” Haythe said of the writing process. “Catherine was truly unique. I couldn't think of a great anti-hero in period shows that happened to be a woman. And for that to work, I think the essential question had to be: is this an evil person who is capable of moments of goodness? Or is this a really good person who's willing to do evil things to survive?”
He added that it was vital to have a central character with an ongoing mystery. “You have to stare at this person, and really wonder what she is. And I think Catherine, Samantha, and Liv, have that. They have incredible poise, incredible depth, and a mystery to them. That’s why they were perfect for the part.”
It’s compelling to watch both actresses play Catherine at different time periods. For Stoff, it became a great opportunity to bring something rare to life and feature incredible actresses in a historic role.
“When I first got into this business, there was a very palpable glass ceiling for women,” he said. “There were very few female producers, or hardly any. And there were no female executives in a position of power, and so on. You would constantly hear about women butting up against that glass ceiling, and you’d hear things like, ‘Oh, she's not very nice. She has really sharp elbows. She's this, she's that.’ For me, working on the show was a perfect analogy, because women had to be so much smarter, and so much better than the men.”
The Serpent Queen reveals that about Catherine in great detail, and the executive producers felt Morton was exceptional in the role.
“Samantha is incredibly direct and incredibly practical,” Haythe noted. “And from that practical point of view, she's always right. When she comes on a set and sees something or you'd be standing next to her in a hallway waiting to go to a set, she could turn to you and say, ‘You know, there should be more smoke marks behind this candle.’ And of course, she's right. Those are the eyes she has.”
“What I found remarkable about Samantha is the amount of work she’d done before she ever showed up on the set,” Stoff said. “The specificity with which she approached it was impressive. She never showed up looking for something. She had the confidence to be very open and make any adjustment that was talked about on set.”
What surprised Haythe about Morton as a performer? “Her ability to be ‘still,’” he said. “I think it's what a lot of incredible on-camera actors have, but I've never seen anything quite like it [until this]. You could watch what was happening in the scene on Samantha’s face when she was opposite another actor. That stillness, for me, was the power she had and that's essential in the way she played Catherine.”
The Serpent Queen premieres globally Sunday, Sept. 11, on the STARZ app, and all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms.