Conversations with the Cast and Creator of ‘Becoming Elizabeth’

​Last week, not only did Nerds That Geek have the honor of spending time at the Red-Carpet Premiere of STARZ’s Becoming Elizabeth at SeriesFest 8 at the Sie FilmCenter… but we were also able to speak with the show’s creator Anya Reiss and stars Alicia von Rittberg and Jamie Blackley regarding this show and its big premiere.

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Anya Reiss – Creator

John Betancourt: What inspired you to put the show together in the first place?
 
Anya Reiss: I didn't know this story. I thought I knew the story of Elizabeth the First. And I found it really exciting the idea of it being led by characters and being just a character development study, because we all know what happens. But this gave me real freedom for it to be about why this thing happened, and who are people, which, I feel like… usually in history shows, you just have to hit the events. And this felt like something really different.
 
John Betancourt: What kind of research did you do to really flesh everything out?
 
Anya Reiss: I read a lot of letters and speeches and anything, where I could hear their voices, because I felt like, I mean, we were not making stuff up. These are things that happened. But it felt really important to me to just kind of get a sense of who they were as humans. And then they were my playthings after that. -laughter-
 
John Betancourt: What kind of liberties did you take with the story, once you reached the end of what research could offer?
 
Anya Reiss: I mean, I hope not too many. I think… it's mainly… the liberties that are taken, are because there are gaps, so you have to make a call. You can't really go; “did they, didn't they?” when you're making a show. So, we made some calls on what happened. And I suppose it was just the most interesting story that felt relevant to us, to kind of use our guidance, but I think we tried very hard not to, not to make a false version of history.
 
John Betancourt: What was the biggest challenge you ran into in assembling the story?
 
Anya Reiss: I suppose, reserving judgment on the characters. Because I think the best kind of writing doesn't tell you what to think about people. But it didn't stop me from thinking. So, I think I sometimes find it a little bit hard not to go… “he’s an asshole!” -laughter-

Alicia von Rittberg – Elizabeth the First

John Betancourt: How excited are you to be here tonight?
 
Alicia von Rittberg: So excited. I'm incredibly excited. It's… it's so cool. I spent the whole day in Denver, and I loved it. And yeah, can't wait for the audience to watch it.
 
John Betancourt: What was it that attracted you to this role, as an actor?
 
Alicia von Rittberg: Oh, well, I think if you if you get a chance to play a complex character, like Elizabeth the First, it's just something… I could only dream of and playing her during a time that wasn't really told before… is more exciting. And the scripts are amazing, and they told me I could get red hair. So, (laughs) I’m sold!
 
John Betancourt: Yes! In disguise! What are you most excited for folks to experience watching this?
 
Alicia von Rittberg: There's just nothing comparable to watching it with an audience and just like, I don't know, experiencing it… with them. Seeing where they laugh, where they… I don't know… what just happens in the room. So that's, that is very exciting. And we worked on it for like two years!

Jamie Blackley – Robert Dudley

John Betancourt: How excited are you for everyone to experience this tonight?
 
Jamie Blackley: I'm really excited. I mean, there is kind of apprehension as well, which I think is just natural. You know, to see it in front of an audience for the first time, but it'll be good. It'll be really good. I’m really excited.
 
John Betancourt: What attracted you as an actor to this show?
 
Jamie Blackley: I think it was… it being a period of Elizabeth's life that hasn't been explored before, and it didn’t feel like kind of a rehashing of, you know, old stories. The cast is just really exciting. So many people that I admire and look up to, and I've seen so much of their work, and then to be at work with them was just awesome. And I just think that, you know, the creative team was really exciting. And it felt like they wanted to tell the story in the right way, which is just the dream.
 
John Betancourt: What are most excited for fans to experience?
 
Jamie Blackley: I just think, to experience like the feel of the show, it feels… you know, the feeling of it is to try and throw you into a world that is really dangerous. You know, there's glitz in there. But it is a really dangerous world where you can say the wrong thing, and everything can go wrong. So, I'm excited for them to experience that. And it's funny, you know, it’s really funny.
 
These interviews have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.