...looks way too old? I literally feel like she is Henry's mom so it's easy to side with Henry in not wanting to be with her. I literally can't stand how much older she is than everyone else and I WANT to like her. It's possible they chose to cast her so much older so the audience is on Henry's side when he wants a new wife. Idk... Just a thought!
shareThink^^
shareShe WAS 9 years older than Henry - a long time when the average life-expectancy was about two decades shorter than it is today.
shareAnd her body went through a lot with six pregnancies and the death of all of her babies except for Mary.
shareI realize their realize age comparison but seriously even after the pregnancies she wouldn't look that old! Even her paintings she looks fine. I realize it's loosely based on what actually happened.. But for me it's hard to picture Henry with her in the series... She looks mid 50's and he looks early 30's!
shareWtf! apparently I can't spell right or use proper grammar in this thread! Ignore the second 'tealize' lol
shareUnless the information I looked up is false, Henry is listed as being born in 1491 and Catherine in 1485 which would make them only 6 years apart in age. It's only 3 years less than 9, yes, but in fairness to the person who started this thread, the age difference between Henry and Catherine definitely appears to be more than 6 years, if you go solely based on the appearance of the actors portraying them that is.
I think the actress portraying Catherine looks a bit older than her real age.
But then to play Devil's Advocate, not a single actor or actress in this series was meant to be an exact replica of the historical person they were supposed to portray. For example, I don't think Catherine had black hair and was actually more blonde.
I just thought of something else too; I think this is the first historical TV drama where time is put on fast-forward. Events that happened over a span of around 30 years are crammed into about 30 episodes. And if you pay attention to the timeline, you'll find yourself watching one episode where several events happen, and then the next episode features events that happened several months (or even years) later. Like with how Princess Mary is a small child at the beginning of the series, but by the time Catharine dies she appears to be in her teens. By the end of the events in the last episode of the series, Mary is supposed to be in her 30's. Two or three episodes are meant to cover several months/years of activity, you know?
So maybe that's why Catharine appears to be so much older?
I don't know, I'm just spit balling. . .
It's possible they chose to cast her so much older so the audience is on Henry's side when he wants a new wife.
she was nine years older than. Henry, and although she was pretty when she was young, she had aged badly due to all those pregnancies etc.
shareI also thought Maria Doyle Kennedy was fabulous. She IS 13 years older than JRM in real life but COA was only 6 years older than the real Henry. MDK comported herself like the true Queen COA was throughout her entire run.
I also thought Joley Richardson looked like JRM's mother (she is 12 years older than him in real life) ,but she was so fantastic as Catherine Parr I was able to look away. Another actress that was so elegant and regal.
When all is said and done, it is Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn that was JRM's perfect match.
Remember us, for we too have lived, loved and laughed
When all is said and done, it is Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn that was JRM's perfect match.
I adore her too. She does the same smirk in everything. She's on GOT now and does it. I read something the other day where she said her smile is crooked and that's why it always looks like she's smirking. I think she's a fabulous actress and I also love her laugh. She seems very lovely and classy in real life.
Remember us, for we too have lived, loved and laughed
The real Katharine was only 6 years older than Henry.
Yes, Maria is too old. Or rather, Jonathan is too young. Maria... is gorgeous, I think. I thought she was an exquisite Katharine of Aragon, and gave a heart-wrenching performance. I was devastated that her pregnancy meant she was hardly in season two, because I wanted to see more from her.
MDK was fantastic, I loved her accent and her voice. I've seen practically all the movies and TV shows on Henry VIII's life and whether she looked or sounded like the real one matters not...she is the one I measure the rest of them by.
I had no idea MDK was pregnant in The Tudors until the episode when Katherine was leaving the palace for good and Thomas More was walking her to her carriage. I thought I was seeing things, and remember running to my computer to see if she was pregnant in real life, which of course, she was.
Tonight Showtime was airing a 4 hour block of the show. It still holds up. One of my favorite shows ever.
Remember us, for we too have lived, loved and laughed
I'm rewatching too. Only 2 more episodes to go and I don't want to watch them because it'll be over! Again!
And I'll be sad. Again...
I agree. Maria's is the one I measure all the others against -- despite her being dark-haired. Just a terrific performance, and an emotional one... I went in being an Anne Boleyn fan and came out a Katharine of Aragon fan. I have a difficult time 'liking' Anne Boleyn now that I've read so much about Katharine... truly a remarkable, powerful, charismatic woman with a heartbreaking end.
shareMy problem with Catherine of Aragon is that I think she loved being Queen more than she loved her husband. I did not find her a sympathetic figure, rather someone that was doing anything in her power to cling to her position of authority. For whatever the reason, the King wanted to dump her and move on and she was like that bitter clinger ex and that cant move on (except its not moving on from the relationship, its moving on from her status as the "queen". Very selfish IMO).
shareBeing brought up highly devout in her faith and being the daughter of a King and Queen, she absolutely felt that being queen of England was her right. She knew from a young age that ruling was her destiny and when that was taken away from her, bitterness was certainly something she felt.
As far as this series goes, Michael Hirst chose to believe that she was not lying when she said she was a maid untouched when she came to Henry. Digressing back to the topic of this thread, are you of the opposite opinion?
It breaks my heart when people see her actions as selfish or driven purely by a desire for power. That is not who she was at all.
She had many faults, but to reduce her struggle to preserve the Sacrament of her marriage, and the deep insult of being seen as the king’s “mistress” as a woman of immense faith and piety, to a superficial assessment of “oh, she just didn’t want to give up her crown” is insulting to her memory.
Sometimes I'm on the fence when it comes to Catherine of Aragon. I can totally sympathize with her when it comes to being "dumped," and the hurt that one goes through. However, I must say that I tend to lean more on your side of it too, jerseysprung. Catherine may have been seen as a great woman in the eyes of many; but a saint she was not. She had her character flaws, like we all do. So I do see her as selfish, stubborn and a bit of a hypocrite (in the name of religion).
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