Jodie Turner-Smith: Meghan Markle ‘terrible missed opportunity’ for royal family
"I think it's interesting that the institution is not changing with the time, or quickly enough,"Turner-Smith said.
Ahead of her highly anticipated role as one of history’s biggest royals, Jodie Turner-Smith has given her take on Meghan Markle in a recent interview, calling her exit a “terrible missed opportunity” for the British royal family.
As theGrio previously reported, Turner-Smith is set to play Anne Boleyn in a brand new series. With a new take on the life of the historical figure, the series is said to shed, “a feminist light on the final months of Boleyn’s life, re-imagining her struggle with Tudor England’s patriarchal society, her desire to secure a future for her daughter, Elizabeth, and the brutal reality of her failure to provide Henry with a male heir.”
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, the actress opened up about her new role and even spoke to current royal news, including Markle and Prince Harry‘s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Read More: Jodie Turner-Smith stuns as Anne Boleyn in new trailer
Speaking to how the Duchess of Sussex could have ushered in a new era for the royal family, Turner-Smith shared in the interview, “I think that Meghan could have been that…it was a terrible missed opportunity, the way in which it was not allowed to be something that really modernizes that institution, and to change it to something for the better.” She continued, “I think that’s why there’s dysfunction there.”
Turner-Smith also opened up about her stance on the royals in general, and her thoughts on their current position and ultimately their legacy on the world stage. She explained, “I would not consider myself a monarchist…I think it’s interesting that the institution is not changing with the time, or quickly enough.” She continued, “we have to look at things in a modern context. And only then we will recognize that certain things are archaic, and don’t really serve us as a community and are limiting us. I think we should keep those things in stories and move on to something else in reality.”
Read More: Meghan Markle makes cameo in trailer for Oprah, Prince Harry’s mental health series
Turner-Smith also shed light on her role as Anne Boleyn, a beloved historical figure. While the casting announcment stirred up some mixed reactions among fans, Turner-Smith feels it was to be expected. She explained, “Anne Boleyn is a character loved by so many and a story so well known that people are attached to the way that it looks in their own imagination…So, when you introduce something that is so contrary there’s going to be resistance. I think it’s to be expected.”
Last week a full trailer for the upcoming series was released. The actress shared the video on her official Instagram page, writing in the caption, “finally finally finally, my Queen Anne Boleyn is coming to @channel5_tv later this month!!!! you may know the history… but are you sure you know HER story? i hope you all watch and see! ????????.” Check out the trailer shared by Turner-Smith below:
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