The King and the Conqueror star Emily Beecham opens up about her character's 'juicy, tug-of-war' romance with James Norton's Harold Godwinson in the new BBC period drama.
Beecham, who plays Harold's wife Edith Swanneck, spoke on the pair's bittersweet marriage in the historical drama, telling Digital Spy: "I was hoping it'd be a bit juicy and romantic. There's this sort of tug of war, this sort of push and pull between them that makes quite a heartbreaking romance."
The husband and wife duo are part of a much wider ensemble cast that tell the story of Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy's (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) clash over power, building up to the infamous Battle of Hastings.
Norton reflected on working with Beecham on building Harold and Edith's relationship in the midst of impending war stating: "It was fun. We had a really great time working out what this relationship was. It was obviously incredibly important, unlike most marriages in those days which were often marriages of convenience or politically motivated in the unions.
He added: "They clearly had a genuine, legit connection of love and loyalty and we wanted to speak to that and work out what happened behind those closed doors."
Norton went on to praise Beecham's portrayal of Edith.
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"Emily is a brilliant actress," he told Digital Spy. "[She] brings nuance and vulnerability and strength and tenacity, and all the things you need from a complicated role like Edith."
Executive producer Kitty Kaletsky shared the importance of roles of the women in the story beyond Edith, who she called "ferociously" loyal.
"We all know as women, irrespective of the period of history, quite how much we are doing behind the scenes. We're not celebrated as such, but there is puppeteering going on, there is management and so why not tell that truthfully, at least between husbands and wives," she stated, also referring to the show's other pivotal husband and wife pairing Matilda Flanders (Clémence Poésy) and William.
"[Matilda and Edith], as far as we can tell from what we've read, really had legitimate power. Matilda, especially her husband, William, was completely illiterate, so she read and wrote on his behalf. So she wasn't just a confidant in the way that a spouse often is. She was a true political advisor.
"I felt a very personal responsibility to show that on screen."
King & Conqueror is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
