Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer is set to star alongside Adelaide Clemens, Zachary Quinto, and Veep’s Timothy Simons in The Girl Who Invented Kissing, about a mysterious female drifter who enchants two brothers. Untamed Heart writer will Tom Sierchio will make his directorial debut on the project.
She’s made a name for herself bringing a sultry modernity to royal characters, but now Natalie Dormer is ready to abdicate.
“I want to challenge people’s perceptions of me,” says the 31-year-old actress, who’s currently in Dubrovnik, Croatia, filming the fourth season of “Game of Thrones,” in which she plays Margaery Tyrell, soon-tobe wife of the evil King Joffrey. It’s her third prominent royal role, after playing Anne Boleyn on Showtime’s “The Tudors” and a young Queen Elizabeth in Madonna’s film “W.E.”
But Dormer, a Brit, has a wider range than those parts — juicy though they may be — would suggest. Careerwise, she’s got a specific role model in mind.
“Helena Bonham Carter started off in a similar fashion,” says Dormer, referring to Carter’s early, aristocratic gigs, “and she managed to shake it off.” So Dormer is broadening her horizons in several disparate directions.
English actress Natalie Dormer has a gift for seduction. As Anne Boleyn on The Tudors, she was the medieval minx who transformed Europe. And on the addictive Game of Thrones, the 31-year-old is a shrewd player cloaked in sylphlike innocence. This month she appears in Rush, about European Formula One racing in its 1970s heyday.
Do you like to drive? “I love to drive. My present to myself from The Tudors was a red Mazda MX5 hard-top convertible. I loved that car, and also what she represented—my first success.”
Automatic or standard? “Come on, you’re talking to a European. None of this automatic bollocks. You’ve got to feel the car, feel the gears.”
How do you explain the Game of Thrones mania? “There’s the violence and the bloodletting and the honor. And then there’s the romance and the sex and the naked bodies. There are the costumes, and the coming-of-age stories for younger viewers. There are gay heroes and straight heroes. There’s feminism. And there’s dragons and supernatural shit going on. There’s magic and CGI for the geeks. There is literally something for everyone.”
You’ve done your fair share of nudity. Are those scenes ever a challenge? “It’s always a bit traumatic. Being comfortable with your body is not the same thing as feeling completely at ease doing a sex scene. I’m comfortable with my body, but to do nudity [as part of your job] is sometimes not as easy as you’d like it to be.”
What do you do to maintain your figure? “I’m a massive yoga head. Lots of yoga and lots of running. I do Bikram yoga. I adore it.”
Deadline.com has confirmed that Natalie has been cast in the movie Posh.
Natalie Dormer has joined the ensemble cast of Posh for director Lone Scherfig. The film follows two first-year students determined to join the infamous Riot Club, where reputations can be made or destroyed in one night. The Game Of Thrones actress, who next appears in the features Rush and The Counselor, is repped by UTA, Untitled Entertainment and United Artists.
Game Of Thrones star Natalie Dormer is keen for a bit more air time in the show’s fourth series after she was omitted from the controversial Red Wedding episode and the season three finale.
The 31-year-old actress, who plays Margaery Tyrell in the gritty HBO drama, is hoping her character will get the opportunity to react to the unexpected bloodshed next time around.
Quizzed on how she felt Margaery would have responded to the Red Wedding, Natalie told Entertainment Weekly: ‘I hope that you’ll see it in the future, in season 4. Something like the Red Wedding just goes to illustrate the darkness of Tywin Lannister. It’s one thing being a politically savvy family like the Tyrells, but it’s quite another to be so amoral, immoral, in your pursuit of power and control.
‘I think the Lannisters are the only family that would have orchestrated [something like] that. So yeah, I would imagine the reaction from the Tyrells — what happened to the Starks is going to terrorise them somewhat. I mean, these are the in-laws!’
She goes on to explain that she has made a conscious decision not to read the books and is yet to await her fate.
She continued: ‘I haven’t read the books on purpose. I’ve chosen not to. I know the broad strokes, the trajectory of what happens. Dan [Weiss] and David [Benioff] are very good at surprising us all.
‘Even when you know what is going to happen to your character, you have no idea of how or when it’s going to happen. So there is still a great level of unpredictability,’ she added.
Between now and June 28, the deadline for Emmy voters to submit nomination ballots, EW.com will feature interviews with some of the actors and actresses whose names we hope to hear when nominations are announced on July 18.
How does a bright-eyed, sweet-natured, deceptively ambitious teenage girl navigate the treacherous waters of King’s Landing society — not to mention the cruel nature of her sadistic husband-to-be and his scheming mother — without losing her head? Simple: By hiding her true motives behind a megawatt smile, wielding innocence and enthusiasm as skillfully as a swordsman brandishes his blade.
It also helps if that teenager is played by 31-year-old Natalie Dormer, a seasoned performer who specializes in masters of manipulation like The Tudors‘ Anne Boleyn (another noble with royal ambitions) and Elementary‘s Irene Adler/Moriarty.
In Dormer’s hands, these characters are never just seductive scam artists. Margaery Tyrell of Game of Thrones, for example, is certainly cunning — but in the actress’ mind, she’s also genuinely caring, thoughtful, and liberal-minded. “She has quite a modern take on power and how it operates, which is fascinating to play,” Dorner told EW in between screenings at the Edinburgh Film Festival. We’re guessing she was being sincere — though with an actress like this, it’s always just a little tough to tell for sure.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You first appeared on Game of Thrones in season 2, but your character didn’t really break out until season 3. Was there a particular moment this year when you started to feel like you had become a more integral part of the ensemble?
NATALIE DORMER: Yeah, absolutely. I thought I’d talk to you about the crossbow scene in episode 2, with me and Jack [Gleeson] talking in Joffrey’s bedchamber.
I have added some more stills and on set photos of Natalie in her latest movie A Long Way From Home.
Gallery Links:
– Promotional Stills
– On Set
I have added a new behind the scenes photo of Natalie in Casanova.
Gallery Link:
– Behind The Scenes
Natalie attended the premiere of her film A Long Way From Home at the Edinburgh Film Festival Premiere on June 20.
Gallery Link:
– Jun 20 | The 67th Annual Edinburgh International Film Festival – ‘A Long Way From Home’ Premiere
Natalie was on a promotional tour for Game of Thrones in Madrid on June 4.
Gallery Link:
– Jun 04 | ‘Game of Thrones’ Madrid Promotional Tour
– Jun 04 | ‘Game of Thrones’ Madrid Photocall
