Jodie Turner-Smith stuns in first look at ‘Anne Boleyn’

In her copy of The Book of Hours, published around the year 1450, Anne Boleyn wrote, “Le temps viendra. Je anne Boleyn.” For Jodie Turner-Smith, the time has come, too. The Queen & Slim star will play Boleyn, second wife to Henry VIII, in a UK series that examines the last few months of Anne’s life — before the queen was condemned to death by her capricious royal husband.

The network behind the three-episode miniseries has just released the first photo of Turner-Smith in the title role, and it’s stunning. The actor herself shared the photo on Instagram. 

Anne Boleyn wrapped up filming late last year. Dubbed a “psychological thriller,” the series is set to air sometime this year, though no firm date has been announced. 

The period drama will follow the Tudor queen in her failed fight to escape her fate (i.e. the guillotine) while seeing that her daughter is safeguarded and secured a place in the royal house of Henry VIII. The project also stars I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu in the role of Anne’s brother George, Game of Thrones’ Mark Stanley as Henry, and Marcella’s Amanda Burton as Lady Anne Shelton. The infamous Thomas Cromwell will be played by Des actor Barry Ward. 

Anne Boleyn was most recently played on TV by Claire Foy in the adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, a historical reinterpretation of the typical Henry VIII story that cast Cromwell as the hero of the period. This new adaptation will tell the tale from Anne’s point of view. 

The production carries on the tradition of “colour blind casting” in period pieces, as seen in projects like Bridgerton and Hamilton. By rejecting the notion that actors need to look as close to real-life historical figures as possible, Anne Boleyn becomes less about casting the actor who looks most like a 16th century English queen, and more about casting the best performer for the role. 

“There’s so much about her story that feels modern,” said Turner-Smith in a statement about the new series. “It’s one I can relate to as a Black woman, and it shows how little has changed in terms of our desire to tear down powerful women, to not let them live in their truth.”

BEFORE YOU GO: 'Bachelor' contestants unite to speak out on racism