Jenna Coleman has opened up about how long she will play Queen Victoria in the popular ITV show Victoria, and has hinted that she might have to leave as the monarch grows older, as her portrayal won't be "convincing". Chatting to Radio Times, the actress said that they were deciding on continuing the show on a "series-by-series basis", adding: "In the next one she's starting to look a bit more matronly, she's had six or seven children, so a bit wider, bit more of a bust, the make-up is more drawn… but there will come a point in her story when no amount of prosthetic make-up or me lowering my voice will be convincing enough."
Jenna as Queen Victoria
Netflix was faced with a similar problem regarding The Crown, which follows the life of the Queen and Prince Philip, and replaced the original cast from the first two series with older actors. While Olivia Coleman took over the role of the monarch from Claire Foy, Tobias Menzies was cast as Prince Philip. Matt Smith originally played the Duke of Edinburgh, and spoke about passing on the baton. He said: "I know Tobias quite well so I think it's a brilliant bit of casting. Also, I've done it with Doctor Who where you hand over a part and I'm sort of fine with that. That's just not a problem for me. I'm just excited and I watch it as a fan and I’m intrigued to see what happens."
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Jenna also opened up about her new show The Cry, and revealed that she was keen to do something very different from Victoria. "The Cry is a real contrast to Victoria, and Victoria was a real contrast to Doctor Who,” she explained. "That was the attraction for me. If I'd been offered something sci-fi after Doctor Who I probably would have turned it down. I've never done anything like a psychological thriller before."
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