Although this pivotal chapter is a staple of school history lessons, it has received surprisingly few on-screen portrayals. King & Conqueror, an eight-part historical drama starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy, aims to change that. Norton, 40, who has also co-produced the series says: “1,000 years later so much of our language, our legal system, our philosophy, our art, it’s all underpinned by this massive moment in history. “So it’s kind of astounding that no one’s told this story before and I think that we certainly felt that throughout the telling of it. “I almost couldn’t believe that we were the ones who got this incredible privilege to tell this story, which is a big, epic moment in our history lessons.” The series follows the lives of Harold and William and their respective wives Edith Swan-neck portrayed by Emily Beecham and Matilda of Flanders played by Clémence Poésy in the years leading up to the Battle of Hastings.
“I’ve never put so much time and work into one project, I don’t think in my whole life.”
Game Of Thrones star Coster-Waldau says “We know the consequences of what would happen without William the Conqueror, we probably wouldn’t have King Charles III today. “It’s such a compelling story about these two men who at first you think that could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and then it becomes something quite different. “I didn’t know anything about this history, and once I started doing my research and reading about it, I was really surprised by how different Europe looked back then and the influence of the Normans and the Vikings, how great that was at that time. I love history, I find it very interesting.” The 55-year-old Danish actor, who also directed an episode, says he was happy to bring his on-screen battlefield experience from playing Jaime Lannister to the series. “The good thing about having experiences is, you can work with the stunt team, I can suggest stuff. I’ve done this my whole career,” he says.
King & Conqueror portrays the pair having a tumultuous relationship who begin as friends before becoming foes.
Photo: Eddie Marsan as King Edward and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William
“What was really exciting when this idea was conceived was that, while most people know about the battle, far fewer know about the 20 or 30 years leading up to it, when William and Harold were actually friends, and their lives were intertwined through their wives, Matilda and Edith,” explains the London-born actor. “They had this twisty, turny story, and these relationships and these people falling in and out of love, and at the heart of it are these two men who became friends and then adversaries. “That piece of history, I think I and most of the people don’t know anything about, so that’s why we’re so excited about the show, because it’s the first time.” Norton, who is best known for his portrayal of Tommy Lee Royce in BBC drama Happy Valley, says he has never put so much work into a single project before. “We’ve been developing this for over seven years. I think we worked out that the idea originally came to us in 2019, and it’s the sheer amount of time, work, blood, sweat, and tears that have just gone into it,” he says. “I was over every draft, every note session, every twist and turn in the kind of tone, story, and character-building of this world.The stakes are high and they’ve never been as high.
Photo: Emily Beecham as Edith.
Photo: James Norton as King Harold.
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