cover story
Helen Mirren reigns again
‘Catherine the Great’ on HBO
By Sachi Kameishi
TV Media
I
n a scene from the first trailer
released for HBO’s upcom-
ing miniseries “Catherine the
Great,” Dame Helen Mirren
(“Collateral Beauty,” 2016)
stands as the eponymous Rus-
sian empress, her fist raised
firmly. “Do you know what I hold
in my hand?” she asks decidedly.
She lets her words hang for a
beat before pointedly answering
her own question: “Absolute
power.”
Premiering Monday, Oct. 21,
on HBO, the four-part “Catherine
the Great” period drama co-pro-
duced by Sky Atlantic explores
the public and private lives of
Catherine the Great in her later
years. Russia’s last and longest-
ruling female leader, Catherine
revitalized the country during her
strict reign. Russia grew larger
and more unified than ever,
cementing the nation as one of
Europe’s greatest powers during
the 18th century. The new HBO
series tells her glorious, political-
ly victorious story as such, while
also outlining the controversy
and eroticism that challenged
her luxurious, golden court.
As per Sky Atlantic’s news
release, the series shines a spot-
light on Catherine’s place his-
torically and in today’s context
as a woman who was “strong-
minded, independent, brilliantly
intelligent and sexually liberated
... the definition of the modern
woman.”
Many of the production’s
interior scenes were filmed in
Catherine the Great’s actual pal-
ace, a detail that will be a treat
for audiences as much as it was
for the cast. Speaking to the Eve-
ning Standard about shooting in
the decadent Moscow residence,
Mirren said, “I was looking out of
the same windows onto the ex-
act same grounds [as she was].
It was an extraordinary feeling
being that close to her.”
The depiction of a woman in
power who isn’t defined by the
men around her hasn’t been
the norm in modern media.
Anticipation for this kind of
2 | Screentime
Helen Mirren stars in “Catherine the Great”
an Academy Award. Empress
female-focused storytelling is
Catherine already feels like an
only heightened when you add
excellent addition to Mirren’s
the abilities of an actress of Mir-
collection of regal roles, because
ren’s caliber. Not only the lead of
it’s the kind of royal story Mirren
the series, Mirren also serves as
has not told before: the story of
executive producer for the proj-
an openly erotic and deeply ro-
ect. In fact, she reportedly took
the idea to fellow producer David mantic monarch. HBO has clearly
M. Thompson, who claimed, “It’s stated that Catherine’s sexuality
and passionate demeanor are to
a part she’s always wanted to
be spotlighted as one of the most
play.”
fulfilling aspects of her life, sup-
A lesson in inspired casting,
posedly in an attempt to destig-
Mirren’s turn as Catherine the
matize her as the lust-obsessed
Great marks her return to the
vixen many historians remember
royal tale. Mirren has explored
and shame her for, and instead
the significance of womanhood
consider her sexuality as part of
in monarchy her entire career.
her legacy as a complex woman.
Her roles as Elizabeth I in the
Given the romantic heart of
mini-series “Elizabeth I” (2005)
HBO’s “Catherine the Great,”
and Queen Charlotte in “The
Madness of King George” (1994) it’s crucial to mention Mirren’s
right-hand man in the series:
debuted to great acclaim, and
Jason Clarke (“Zero Dark Thirty,”
her portrayal of Elizabeth II in
2012). Clarke stars as the most
“The Queen” (2006) earned her
October 16, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
passionate of all of Catherine’s
lovers, Russian statesman
Grigory Potemkin. Rounding out
the cast for the Catherinian court
are Richard Roxburgh (“Angel of
Mine,” 2019) as Grigory Orlov,
another noble favorite of Cathe-
rine the Great, who is rumored to
have fathered her son and essen-
tially co-ruled with her until his
death. Rory Kinnear (“Spectre,”
2015) portrays Catherine’s men-
tor, Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Gina
McKee (“The Borgias”) plays
the empress’s lady-in-waiting
and confidant, Praskovya Bruce,
and Andrew Rothney (“Mary
Queen of Scots,” 2018) appears
as Alexander Mamonov, one of
the empress’s youngest lovers in
her court.
A cast like this, with Mir-
ren leading the charge, can be
expected to deliver a great final
product, but the behind-the-
camera team and production
crew involved with the project
only add to the show’s already
sky-high pedigree. The series was
written by novelist Nigel Wil-
liams, who won an Emmy for his
work on the series “Elizabeth I,”
which established his relation-
ship with Mirren and his exper-
tise with the period drama genre.
The director helming all four
episodes is Philip Martin, whose
credits include several episodes
of “The Crown” and “Prime
Suspect,” the latter of which also
starred Mirren, giving them a
decades-long connection.
As for the program’s setting
and set pieces, HBO and Sky At-
lantic spared no expense filming
the series on location in Russia,
Latvia and Lithuania. The HBO
series features a lavish rendition
of The Transvestite Ball, one of
Catherine’s favorite events of
the year, where men dressed as
women and women dressed as
men. It was filmed in the real
palace’s ballroom.
Catherine the Great’s last
years in power were riddled with
immense conflict and violent
adversaries, all situations she
had to control while her private
life inspired scandals and con-
stant shaming. Yet somehow,
despite this, her gender and her
affairs, she made her mark. To
quote Mirren: “Catherine is a
survivor in this dangerous role,
and succeeds in becoming the
most powerful woman in Russia
... she outmaneuvered them all.”
Witness Mirren bring Catherine’s
royal resilience to life in “Cath-
erine the Great,” premiering
Monday, Oct. 21, on HBO.