Summary
The Serpent QueenSeason 2 premiered on July 12 with the first two episodes currently available to stream on STARZ. New installments drop on the app on Fridays at midnight and air on the network at 8:00pm ET. Picking up years after Charles IX is crowned king of France, the latest batch of episodes focuses on Catherine de Medici’s attempt to stay in control of the country while simultaneously balancing her family life.
The most recent threat to Samantha Morton’s character is the introduction ofQueen Elizabeth I of England. While there is no proof that they crossed paths in history, the drama takes creative liberty by bringing the two powerful rulers together. Morton was curious to see the capacity in which Catherine and Elizabeth would initially meet, and the actor shares her excitement about having a chance to act oppositeMinnie Driver.
The Serpent Queen: 10 Movies & TV Shows Where You’ve Seen The Cast
The new Starz series, The Serpent Queen, covers the life of Catherine de Medici and it has a perfect blend of experienced and young actors.
Screen Rantchats with Samantha Morton about power struggles, the complexities of motherhood, and Catherine’s psychic abilities inThe Serpent QueenSeason 2.
Morton’s Character “Feels She Has To Be In Control” In The Serpent Queen Season 2
Screen Rant: There’s a big change now that Charles IX is king. Catherine likes to be in control, so will there be times when they disagree on the right course of action for France?
Samantha Morton: I don’t know if she likes to be in control or that she feels she has to be in control, because the men are just idiots. [Laughs] I think if you’re watching everybody mess everything up, you have no choice but to say, “Get out the kitchen, let me make the omelet.” I don’t think she particularly goes, “I just want to be in control.” In season 1, you saw her realize that she had to take over running the country. Her husband was incapable of running the country.
Her father-in-law obviously died. I don’t think it’s just a Machiavellian desire to rule a country. It’s about caring for the population and, quite frankly, a necessity to prevent war, certainly holy war. I think the show is lots of fun, but the show is also a historical drama based on a lot of truth, and Catherine is thinking a hundred years into the future, making decisions that are about such serious, serious matters that other people don’t seem to understand. She was ahead of her time.
On top of that, Catherine is also a mother. What are the complexities of maintaining power in France and balancing a family life?
Samantha Morton: I think the complexities are being hated by your children, when you have to make decisions that are best for them and for the country. If you’re born into a religious institution, it may be the same if you’re from a financial institution, or a very powerful family, we have that in shows like Succession where you have grappling for power, who’s doing what, why, who’s better at what. It’s a family business, ultimately. It’s not the business comes first, but the country has to come first, and protecting Europe from terrible tragedies and wars.
Morton Was Curious To See How The Serpent Queen Season 2 Would Bring Catherine And Elizabeth Together
Season 1 played with the idea that Catherine may have psychic powers or abilities. Is that something we will learn more about in season 2?
Samantha Morton: Yeah. If people love the show, and they want to research Catherine and everything about her life, that is all based on a lot of truth. She was very, very close friends with Nostradamus. She had seers and would bring influences from everywhere. Not just talking to religious people, she would have the ear and would listen to everybody and take the best bits, and also being a huge promoter of the arts, artists and music and fashion, dance—she was just so ahead of her time.
I suppose, even today, we’re encouraged by society. There’s a wellness culture that we have globally now by going back to traditional methods of healing. There was a time in history when all midwives were burned at the stake, because they just knew about herbalism. And then you had to help a woman give birth, but, “Oh, my goodness. No. You’re a witch.” I think that the show look into those aspects of her as a powerful woman in that way. It’s just common sense, really.
Today we have things where we say, “I’ve got a gut instinct about this.” We’re all thinking about drinking kombucha and apple cider vinegar, because we want to take care of our gut, because the gut is the second brain, apparently. But these people back in history, they knew all of this. They knew if you eat that mushroom, you’re gonna go down that road. It’s the Alice in Wonderland. What the show does so brilliantly is bring in that element of mystery and intrigue and danger.
Catherine and Elizabeth were two of the most powerful women in Europe at the time. What was your reaction when you found out they were going to meet?
Samantha Morton: We are, at the end of the day, a drama. We don’t really know what happened back then. There are letters that Catherine wrote, and historians can gather as much information as they can to help Justin on his journey of writing this show, but they never met in real life. There were letters back and forth—they corresponded in writing. I was very curious in what capacity they would meet and why. It was lots of fun.
It was exciting to work with Minnie Driver, who I’ve been a big fan of for a very long time, and to get to do some really amazing scenes with an amazing actress, but also, two very strong women being on the screen together. We think about Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, films like that. It’s great when we see formidable women acting opposite each other. It’s brilliant, I think. I was just so happy I got to do that.
About The Serpent Queen Season 2
Catherine de Medici is Queen Regent of France now that her son, Charles IX has come of age. Distracted by the personal conflicts of the Valois children, a new mysterious prophet named Edith gains a loyal following who vow to challenge the current religious establishment, sparking tension across the country. Feeling threatened by the rising strain, the divided court turn to their own schemes for selfish benefit.
The Guises commit unholy acts while the Bourbons turn to a familiar foreign sovereign, Queen Elizabeth I of England in hopes of personal gain. As France falls into political and religious turmoil, Catherine struggles to maintain her power, but The Serpent Queen will do whatever she needs to regain control.
Check out our other interviews withThe Serpent QueenSeason 2 cast:
New episodes ofThe Serpent QueenSeason 2 drop on Fridays at midnight on the STARZ app. On linear, they will debut on STARZ at 8:00 PM ET/PT in the U.S. and 9:00 PM ET/PT in Canada.
The Serpent Queen
Based on the life of Queen Catherine de' Medici of France, The Serpent Queen is a historical period drama created by Justin Haythe. The series follows Catherine’s rise into the monarchy, from her introduction into the French court as a young teenager to her eventual spot as the ruling Queen of France in the 16th century.
