Minnie Driver not only shows up in the new season of The Serpent Queen — a period drama that centers on a stylish retelling of the life of Catherine De’Medici — but she is playing Queen Elizabeth I, a real-life character with a larger-than-life story — and someone who has a long screen history already. Calling it “dangerous fun,” Driver seems to be embracing the energy that The Serpent Queen brings to its world, which is about as stylized as other modern period pieces like Bridgerton and The Great.
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Elizabeth I was the Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until she died in 1603. She was the last Tudor monarch, and the sole surviving child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
“I think her precision and her danger,” Driver said. “She’s so in her power, there’s something so free about that, because she just just does not give a toss about anything. She’s there to play. She’s there to see what’s up — what’s up with religion, what’s up with politics, what’s up socially. ‘Oh, the kids are a mess. The queen? She’s less formidable than I thought because she actually thought I was going to marry one of her crazy kids. She’s…dangerous fun, is what’s at the root of my [performance]. Don’t underestimate her.”
Showrunner and executive producer Justin Haythe previously told People that his version of Elizabeth was an “agent of chaos,” noting that since there was no actual historical record of Catherine and Elizbeth meeting, the show could more or less define that relationship entirely for itself. That means Driver and series star Samantha Morton will have plenty of opportunities to bounce off each other.
The Serpent Queen also stars Morton, Driver, Danny Kirranne, Ray Panthaki, Raza Jaffrey, Bill Milner, Angus Imrie and Emma McDonald.
The show’s second season premieres July 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Starz. The Serpent Queen season one is streaming on the Starz app, or virtually any other streaming app with Starz integrated.
