Minnie Driver has had an impressive career on both the small and big screen.
The actor will lend her talents to The Serpent Queen Season 2, which premieres Friday, July 12, 2024, exclusively on Starz.
Driver, best known for her work in Good Will Hunting and The Phantom of The Opera, is no stranger to comical characters, coming off a stellar performance as Anne Bonny in Max’s brilliant but canceled Our Flag Means Death.
Monsters and Critics got to chat with Driver about her major role as Queen Elizabeth I in the historical drama’s sophomore season.
Queen Elizabeth I adds a fun element to The Serpent Queen Season 2 as a new character who is fearless, witty, and ready to take on Samantha Morton’s (The Walking Dead) Catherine de’ Medici.
Without spoiling anything, Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine de’ Medici cross paths when you least expect it in the narrative, adding to the second installment’s unpredictability.
Minnie Driver delves into her character
Initially, there’s an element of ambiguity with such a character because it’s evident she’s trying to find a way to outmaneuver her enemies.
Driver delves into her preparation to take on the exciting role.
“Well, there’s a lot of really beautiful books that you can read,” she said with a laugh.
“I really like books about the period as opposed to books that are just about Elizabeth, really to understand that the way in which life.”
“I don’t know. I tend to read a lot, and then I think about what that must have been like.”
“It was extraordinarily rare to be a woman in that position of power. There was no one else like her in the world. I mean, the closest thing was Catherine de Medici.”
“Which is what makes the meeting of these women so interesting in a way,” the actor added before delving into what it was like filming her first scene with Morton.
Minnie Driver talks working with Samantha Morton
“It was epic. I mean, having two women of that stature sizing each other up was very fun.”
“And Samantha, she is completely in control. She is an extraordinary actor, and it was very fun meeting her in that place of, ‘okay, let’s throw down’ because I think we did that as actors as well as the characters we were playing,” she added.
Check out the full interview below.
The Serpent Queen Season 2 premieres Friday, July 12, at 8/7c on Starz. Stream Season 1 on Starz.