'The Tudors'-alumna actress Natalie Dormer

Natalie Dormer is so cool it might just blow your mind. Her portrayal of Anne Boleyn on the Tudors already has much of the television-viewing public loving and or lusting after her, but it was undeniably excellent to be able to interview her if only because her answers have made me love her even more than I already did. She is historically aware, erudite, etcetera, etcetera, and her answers are really great to read, so, well, go forth and do so.

The bulk of your career thus far has revolved around historical projects. Why is this?
It just worked out that a couple of high profile historical projects were offered to me in the early years of my career. You don’t turn down a great job because it requires a corset and you’ve worn one before. I consider each project on individual merit.

Which of those eras do you prefer: that of the Tudors or that of Casanova?
I love all history because it’s storytelling. But, I will always have a special place in my heart for the Tudor dynasty. It comes from having studied a significant length of it so thoroughly for the show. So many defining characteristics in British identity originate from those years - political, religious, artistic, military.

How is a historical project different from a modern project—in terms of both approach and execution?
Well, it doesn’t take 3 hours to get ready on a modern piece. For a lavish court scene Anne was at least 40 minutes in hair, 40 mins in make up and half an hour in wardrobe. That’s an early morning! And for anyone wondering – those headpieces are heavy. Physical movement is varied by clothes and contemporary etiquette, of course, but human emotion and its execution (no pun intended) is timeless.

Are you much of a history buff? Diaries from centuries past are just fascinating.
Diaries are wonderful, be it Anne Frank, Samuel Pepys or Casanova. It’s fascinating having direct primary evidence of a personality, especially when the way they are trying to present themselves is as informative and entertaining as the events they relay.

Speaking of which, what was it like working with Tom Stoppard on Casanova? I hear he expanded your role for you.
I was listening to ‘Sir Tom’ on BBC Radio 4 a few months back (his play Every Good Boy Deserves Favour was on at our National Theatre). He is an outstanding playwright and has been a shrewd, humorous voice on many political, social issues in our modern history. I would feel incomplete as an actor if I never walked on stage in one of his roles.

You don’t at all have to answer this if you would prefer not to, but what was your reaction when you heard that Heath Ledger passed away?
I think Christopher Nolan said it best at The Globes: ‘After Heath passed on, you saw a hole ripped in the future of cinema’.

All right, your character Anne Boleyn just died on The Tudors. What is your conception of Anne Boleyn?
I can’t reduce such a complex, misunderstood, courageous woman in a few sentences…. Unless I just did?!

How did you like playing her?
I grieved her and the joy of playing her upon finishing The Tudors. It surprised me how fond I’d grown of her company.

Will you miss the show?
I miss a lot of the people I worked with. I miss people bowing at me...Joke! But it was time to move on. Hopefully, she will be one of just many characters that I grow a strong affection for in playing them.

What did you think of that recent movie on Anne Boleyn, The Other Boleyn Girl?
I didn’t see it. Watching a talented actress play a completely different artistic interpretation of the same historical figure would only have addled my brain.

Speaking of film, which films are your favorites? Are you much of a buff?
My boyfriend is very definitely a film buff. He continues to ‘educate’ me (translate as ‘moans if we don’t watch at least 3 movies a week’). New Year’s day was spent at the cinema for the double bill of Steven Soderbergh’s Che if that counts.
I am a Mark Kermode acolyte. He’s a well-respected British film critic and I would encourage your audience to download his podcast with Simon Mayo from BBC5 LIVE.

I have to ask, what other musicians do you listen to?
I listen to a wide range of music. The albums on repeat at the moment on my ipod are Radiohead, The Kings of Leon, U2 (I’m with an Irishman) and a bit of Kanye West.

I hear that you are very cerebral, which you have said is the writer’s or director’s role rather than the actor’s, so how do you approach a role?
Cerebral is fine, often useful, as long as you stop doing it as soon as you step on stage or the camera turns over. “Acting is Re-acting”- I had that stuck to my fridge door for years, until a friend teased me “Why? Do you forget?”

And I hear that you’re well-read, as well! What are some of your favorite books?
Again, can’t do ‘favourites’ (except for A.A Milne) as it changes. But I can tell you I’ve just finished Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and started Diana Athill’s autobiography. I’m very keen to read Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, which has been looking at me from my bookshelf for weeks so I’ll take it to set with me for the next job.

Just because I would like to know, and because they’re my two favorite books, and because they are absolutely wonderful, and because you seem like you might enjoy them, have you read either Special Topics in Calamity Physics or The Unbearable Lightness of Being? They really are magnificent!
Special Topics is duly put on my reading list then! I really enjoyed Philip Kaufman’s film of The Unbearable Lightness of Being but have yet to read it.

You recently made the film Fencewalker, am I correct? Could you talk a bit about that movie and your role in it?
It was a passion project for Chris Carter and a great experience to work on. An unforgiving analysis of suburbia. I liked playing Yasny because she was an ‘old soul’, beyond her teenage years in philosophy and perspective. But ultimately she was just looking to be rescued without knowing it. A lot of us are.

Tell me a story. Any story. Your favorite, your least favorite, yours, any story.
Read Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and Winnie-the-Pooh. Read them again now as an adult. A lot would have gone over your head the first time around I promise you.

Tell me about your upcoming film City of Life and about your character Olga.
Olga is chasing something. A dream- materialistic… emotional- that she believes can be realized in the incredible, ambitious crucible that is Dubai. Whilst playing her I realized the extent of her humanity and the core good spirit behind her bravado. I brought that unexpected realization to the writer/director Ali Mostafa as well I think, which I’m glad about.

For more about Natalie Dormer's upcoming projects, visit her page on IMDb.