Michelle Fairley (Lady Margaret Beaufort)

Lady Margaret Beaufort is one of the most fascinating figures in British history—but not well known. Tell us about your discovery of her through the script, The Cousins’ War novels and other reference sources?

“I remember her name from school, but it was a real education for me to work on this series. That a woman who was so powerful and influential, yet relatively obscure I find fascinating. For research, your first port of call is always your script, and [showrunner/executive producer] Emma [Frost] and the writers have a definite storyline. But it became my interpretation of that—and [executive producer/director] Jamie Payne and Emma were open to suggestions.

“I wanted to develop her in a way that was not too obvious—she’s the ‘baddy’ in the piece, but she’s also a mother who loves her son. She was considered to have led a spiritual life. And the actor’s job is to make that nuanced and layered, and more interesting. You have to understand that she has given her whole life to Henry. Then his marriage [to Lizzie] is turning out to be a love marriage, and she begins to feel excluded.

“Philippa Gregory is like a fantastic detective, and she makes assumptions that haven’t been made before—but they make sense. So another layer is Margaret’s relationship with Jasper. Margaret had been married to Jasper’s brother, Edwin, and when he died, Jasper became a surrogate father to Henry and went into exile with his nephew. Even though Margaret was married four times, I think the person she truly loved would’ve been Jasper, who represents love and nurture for her son.

You and Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville are the original frenemies. There’s a certain respect, though you have different motivations and hope for different outcomes.

“I love playing those scenes with Essie [Davis]. History has told us that once Margaret’s third husband, Henry, died, she had to get into court because this was the only way to get close to Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville to see what was going on. So she contrived and eventually married Thomas Stanley, who was already in the court—and she became lady in waiting to Elizabeth.

“Ultimately, after the Battle of Boswick, when her husband’s family jumped in at the last minute to help Margaret’s son win, she arranged a marriage between Henry and Elizabeth’s daughter, Lizzie, because the Yorks were adored and it would ease Henry back into England again.

“It was an arranged marriage, but history tells us that it became a marriage of love. But Margaret was constantly paranoid that her son would be usurped. So she plotted and schemed to get Elizabeth Woodville away from a position of power. There are so many layers to that relationship. Plot points that I can’t give away mean that Margaret is terrified of what Elizabeth might find out about her…

Margaret is a devout Catholic, so it’s ironic that her grandson who became Henry VIII ultimately shunned Rome. What do you think Margaret would have made of Henry VIII’s split with the Catholic Church?

“Margaret was a godly, spiritual woman. She endowed religious organizations and started two colleges, including Cambridge, and also set up libraries. She became more nun-like as she got older and took a vow of chastity, even though she was married. Her whole life was devoted to God as thanks for getting her son on the throne.

“I don’t think she would have approved at all. In the series, Margaret spends a lot of time with Henry as a child. [As the second son] he wasn’t meant to be king. After his brother [Arthur] died, he inherited not only the crown but his brother’s wife. Their parents had preordained their paths, and for him to rebel like that was not done.

To switch to more earthly topics—how was it to wear those fantastic clothes?

“Phoebe De Gaye, our wonderful costume designer, asked me how I perceived Margaret, and I told her that I felt she was constantly reigned in by society, but underneath, she’s conniving and has her feelers out everywhere. She’s like a tree—serene on top, but underneath, the roots are expanding into every angle. So Phoebe came up with this incredible lacing technique on some of the costumes. It was almost S&M but also symbolized the restrictions felt at the time.

“The costumes in a drama like this are very influential. They make you carry yourself differently, and the clothes also represent your position in society and were markers of wealth and hierarchy. Even though Margaret was wealthy, she was very restrained.

“After her son became king, and she named herself ‘My Lady the King’s Mother,’ she had to dress accordingly, but she still wasn’t ostentatious. Her status would have been demonstrated through jewelry and headpieces, and the types of fabrics she wore. But she still shunned many of the accoutrements of wealth.”

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