From the novels of Philippa Gregory, the Starz drama series The Spanish Princess follows Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope), the 17-year old promised in marriage to the English Prince Arthur (Angus Imrie), in an arrangement meant to form an alliance between the two nations. When her husband dies suddenly, the throne that she’s been promised since she was a child seems lost, until she sets her sights on Prince Harry (Ruairi O’Connor), who will one day become King Henry VIII.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, actress Laura Carmichael (who plays Maggie Pole, the aunt and mentor to Prince Arthur, and a wife and mother who is not willing to be a pawn in the power games of the Tudor court) talked about how exciting it was to be a part of The Spanish Princess, why this was such a cool role, the Shakespearean nature of the story, that she’d like to be able to have a laugh in some modern clothes in her next project, and what it was like to revisit Lady Edith Crawley for the Downton Abbey movie, coming out later this year.

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Image via Starz

Collider:  I loved watching this because it is just so lush and beautiful to look at.

LAURA CARMICHAEL:  Yeah, it really is. They did such a good job, making it look so beautiful. It really is such a treat to see it all sewn together, cutting out all the telegraph poles and main roads in the back of the castle. It’s good to see it as it’s intended.

What’s it like to be involved with something like this, surrounded by these incredible locations and in these incredible costumes?

CARMICHAEL:  It’s really exciting. It’s the most actor-y experience when you’re on a horse in full Tudor garb. We had a lot of fun, but it was crazy hot. It was so weird, that summer in the UK. We wanted it to look really gray and rainy, but it just did not look like Spain. Sometimes near the end, it did start to look a bit more like that, but it was a crazy summer. It was glorious. We were on these castle grounds, running outside, and drinking, chilling and chatting. It was a good time. I’m really lucky. It was really a lovely job.

What did you most enjoy about playing Maggie Pole?

CARMICHAEL:  It’s a really cool part. I really like how you really know where she’s coming from. I love, when you see in the script, why a person behaves that way and you get the intention. I could feel like the pain of losing her brother and her parents, in the violent world of being royal. You see that Maggie wants to just hold her children close, and mother Arthur and keep them safe from the dark side and the dangers of being the King and part of the royal family. She remains this reminder of the blood shed that was done, in order to keep the Tudors on the throne. So, she’s a wonderful part. When you can see all of that on the page, you get excited. You’re like, “I know who this person is. I can imagine how she would feel about going back to Westminster, knowing that this is where it all went down before, and she’s going to fight to keep her family safe and maintain a mask that keeps her just on the edge of keeping her opinions close.” You know. Her relationship with Lizzie, the Queen, has completely changed from what we knew in The White Princess, where they were so close that they were like sisters, and now they have been driven apart by the death of Teddy. She really feels that she’s lost her way. It’s so Shakespearean, which is exciting, for an actor. There are so many things in this drama, in terms of its heart. It’s this very romantic love story, and a love triangle, but it’s also this political drama, where the stakes are life and death. It’s either you’re doing well, or they’re chopping your head off. It’s very bloody. In the production design of it, you feel the darkness and the coldness, and the threat of what they went through with the armies, the wars and the be-headings, but it’s also really romantic. They did a really good job. We have an appetite for these big shows with these big ensembles, that tell us something about a completely different world to ours, but that we can also see ourselves in. I love that we see Henry VIII being a teenager, and being this bad boy in leather trousers. It’s just excellent. We’re showing you a different part of history that you know a bit about.

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Image via Starz

It almost feels like these would be the rock stars of that time period.

CARMICHAEL:  Yeah, that’s true. And because Arthur is the one who’s been prepped to be King, and he’s lived with his Aunt in the other castle, he’s been kept away, studying and disciplined. Henry was left to his own devices, so he’s a bit more of a rebel, and he ends up being King. And we all know how that went, later down the line. He wasn’t quite as disciplined, but we get to see him being young and athletic, and passionate and romantic, and that’s really cool. You’re seeing it from the point of view of Catherine, who we picture in her 40s, as the barren wife number one, but I had no idea that they were married for 24 years. It was definitely his longest marriage, and they loved each other. And their relationship changes.

She does seem a little high maintenance.

CARMICHAEL:  Oh, yeah. I don’t Charlotte is just going for it. She’s high maintenance and mega glamorous. She was this great beauty that had been the jewel in the crown, and she knew it. She really believes that she has the God-given right to be Queen, and that was just what she was going to do. That comes across as really super confident, or crazy arrogant, but that’s what Catherine has been taught. She’s from a completely different world. Her mother, who is a legendary Queen, has brought her up to fight, so she does, and it’s amazing. But how terrifying must it have been, particularly on the ship, making those scary voyage. It’s not like they were like, “Okay, the train will arrive at 3:52.” It was like, “Good luck! I hope you make it!” That’s terrifying! It was always high risk. And then, it would be about things that seem so incredibly personal, like her virginity.

As beautiful as this project is, are you anxious to do a contemporary project in some modern clothes?

CARMICHAEL:  Always. It’s funny. You do one period piece, and then you do another, but it’s super fun. There have been some rare times in my life, when I can do a scene where I’m just wearing some pajamas in bed and I’m like, “Oh, my god, this is the best acting that I’ve ever done because I’m so comfortable.” That definitely has perks to it. But when you’re dreaming of becoming an actress, you’re like, “If I’m lucky enough, I might get to be dressed in Tudor garb, riding a horse and chatting away,” and I’ve been incredibly lucky. I don’t go out looking for it. It’s not like I’m going, “I need to do some more period drama,” or “I need to play some more tragic women.” Those are just the things that I end up drawn to. It’s clearly a thing. I love these epic stories with epic storytelling, and that dig a bit deeper into what we think we know about history. I find that really fascinating. But yea, I could do a cop drama next, or a comedy would be so nice. I’d like to laugh. I do a lot of crying. I’m up for a giggle in jeans. Let’s do that next!

When you have to do a lot of crying, it seems like that could either be really exhausting, or really cathartic.

CARMICHAEL:  Yeah, that’s true. It’s so unconnected to you, when you’re finished, at the end of the day, but sometimes it does feel exhausting. Sometimes, in the lead up to those days, when I know that it’s coming, I’m in a bad mood because I know that I’m about to have an upsetting day, and you take it out on your friends and family. You just hope that you get to a place where you can find what feels real. When you’re going onto set, you don’t know how you’re going to block it and stage it, or what the room is to be like, and you have to find that balance really quickly, so that it feels truthful.

We live in this world where there is the chance that you’ll get to revisit old characters someday, and you got to revisit Lady Edith Crawley for the Downton Abbey movie, coming out later this year. What was that like?

CARMICHAEL:  It was really cool. We had a really nice time. It was fantastic. Being around the dining room table again was like, “I can’t believe we’re back here!” It was kind of bonkers. It was mad to be back, but just delightful to be back with friends. As someone who loves the show, it was a thrill to see Jim Carter be Carson again, and Michelle [Dockery] be Lady Mary. It was like, “There you are! It’s you again!” We see each other quite a lot, but to see them return to those characters, I found exciting. I hope we translate that, on screen. It feels like it’s been a long time, but also no time, at the same time. I think it’s a good distance. It’s good timing.

The Spanish Princess airs on Sunday nights on Starz.