“I think the audience will definitely empathise more with her after seeing our series”: Emilia Schüle and Louis Cunningham on Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France, is a figure whose story many believe they are familiar with, whether from history lessons or Sofia Coppola’s punk-rock-infused 2006 movie starring Kirsten Dunst – or at the very least they will have heard her quoted as saying “Let them eat cake” in the face of the extreme deprivation her subjects suffered while she lived a life of decadence.

Whatever one’s preconceptions, the BBC has produced a fresh look at her tale in a new series, starring German actress Emilia Schüle and Louis Cunningham (a real-life royal from Luxembourg, who also appeared in Bridgerton) as the titular character and her husband Louis XVI. Penned by BAFTA-winning Deborah Davis (the writer behind the extraordinary, period drama genre-revolutionising The Favourite) a new vision of the teen Queen’s backstory and fate are presented right from the opening scenes: something more akin to being dragged into a nightmare than being whisked into a fairytale.

The Upcoming had the chance to chat with the lead cast ahead of the show landing on TV screens. Schüle and Cunningham spoke about being fans of the writer’s previous work and the appeal of working on a binge-worthy BBC period drama landing during Christmas and New Year. They also discussed how the show offers a feminist spin on the well known but much misunderstood historical figure, the joy of working on impressive sets on location in France, as well as the drawbacks of spending weeks in a corset, and how the series offers a chance to escape into its era while also reflecting on cancel culture and how women in the public eye are treated today.

Sarah Bradbury

Marie Antoinette is released on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on 29^th December 2022.

Watch the trailer for Marie Antoinette here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK4D5qC_EW8