I’ll stick to playing Queen Vic
But Jenna faces made-up future
JENNA Coleman looks set to make a regal return to our screens as Victoria – but it might be a challenge to keep up royal appearances.
The 34-year-old actress, currently starring in BBC drama The Serpent, is in talks about the fourth series of ITV’s historical hit and says there is enough material for her to carry on playing the monarch for decades.
But if Jenna is going to grow old on screen like the queen, who ruled for 63 years, it is more likely that she will need to face up to using prosthetics.
Asked about her future on the drama, Jenna said: ‘”We are in the process of discussing it at the moment and timelines. The problem is there’s too much story.
“Effectively I could play this part until I am well into my 60s.
“But obviously, at the moment, there is only a certain age that I could take it up to – unless I am in prosthetics every day for hours on end. “I am working it out.”
Victoria, who died at 81, was our longest reigning monarch until she was surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II, who is 94 and has reigned for 68 years.
Jenna confirmed last year that Victoria was taking a “bit of a breather”
after its third series, while producers decided where to take the story next. But the show ended on a cliffhanger.
Victoria had just given birth to her seventh child when her husband Prince Albert – played by Jenna’s real-life ex Tom Hughes – collapsed.
Writer Daisy Goodwin has promised the fourth series will be “an absolute humdinger” when it hits our screens.
Jenna shot to fame as Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale before hitting the big time on Doctor Who. She starred as sidekick Clara Oswald alongside two incarnations of the Timelord
– played by Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi – from 2012 until 2017
But she thinks her varied career path means her talents are appreciated by viewers of all ages.
Talking about her fans she said: “If it is a family, then the parents are Queen Victoria or the children are Doctor Who.”
Jenna also revealed her dream roles would be Hedda Gabler – described as the female Hamlet – or Cleopatra while speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends.
But her latest role is another departure. She plays a serial killer’s girlfriend in The Serpent, which kicked off on BBC1 on New Year’s Day.
Set in the mid-1970s and inspired by real events, the eight-part thriller follows the extraordinary story of conman and mass murderer Charles Sobhraj, played by acclaimed French actor Tahar Rahim. Jenna stars as MarieAndrée Leclerc, who Soghraj manipulated into becoming his accomplice. Speaking about the role recently, Jenna said: “It’s definitely one of the most terrifying jobs I’ve done.
“I knew I was going to be walking on set with Tahar Rahim.
“Plus, Marie-Andrée is actually from Quebec, and the French-Canadian accent is so specific.”