Henry VIII will not get fat.
That’s what the producers of the Showtime  historical soft-porn melodrama The Tudors assured its viewers. “We don’t want to destroy his good looks,” said executive producer Morgan O’Sullivan. “An exact portrayal of Henry is not a factor that we think is important.”Â
Towards the end of his life, Henry VIII was so heavy he had to be hoisted onto his horse. You’ve seen the famous portrait by Hans Holbein—look at those calves, each one is about the waist size of pouty Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who plays Henry VIII. But then we don’t watch The Tudors for the history lesson. Grover and I watch it for Henry Cavill, who plays Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. If the duke wishes to take his clothes off now and then, we shall not protest overmuch. Jeremy Northam is in the series, too, as Sir Thomas More. Naturally he wears too many clothes.
The Tudors takes liberties with historical fact, but it’s still a more credible depiction of the era than The Other Boleyn Girl (not to mention better-acted). Elizabeth, the movie, wasn’t much more accurate. My favorite historical drama series are still Rome and Deadwood.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
September 2nd, 2008 at 15:48
Come to think of it, they didn’t put JRM in those funny Elvis suits for the Elvis TV movie. Okay, so how will they make him repulsive? How will they kill him off?
September 3rd, 2008 at 21:59
The Tudors bores me to death. But I watch it anyway because I get wet watching Henry Cavill, with or without clothes.