TEAMING UP FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 'THE SERPENT QUEEN' SAMANTHA MORTON AND MINNIE DRIVER

ON PLAYING POWERFUL FEMALE LEADERS AND ENJOYING THE INDOMITABLE RISE OF OLDER WOMEN ON SCREEN

- GILL PRINGLE

Samantha Morton was a teenager living in foster care when she saw Minnie Driver in TV drama The Politician’s Wife, almost 30 years ago. Instantly inspired to become an actress herself, she went on to star in hit films including Minority Report, In America and Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Meanwhile, Minnie found further fame in Good Will Hunting, Grosse Pointe Blank and The Phantom of the Opera.

Both became mothers, too. Minnie, who is in a relationship with US film-maker Addison O’Dea, has 15-year-old son Henry, while Samantha – who is engaged to British actor Harry Holm – has three children, including daughter Esmé Creed-Miles, 24, who has followed in her thespian footsteps.

Despite their similarities as award-winning British actresses who have made a career breakthrough in Hollywood, their paths have never crossed until now.

Samantha won acclaim in 2022 after taking the leading role in historical TV drama The Serpent Queen, portraying formidable 16th-century Queen Catherine de’ Medici, one of the most powerful and longest-serving consorts in French history.

And she was thrilled when Minnie was cast opposite her as Elizabeth I – marking the first time the pair have worked together – for the second season of the show, which launched last week.

Here Samantha, 47, and Minnie, 54, talk about playing two royal powerhouses and living through a time of significant change for women in their industry.

Samantha and Minnie, what was it like to work together for the first time?

Samantha: “Minnie turned up and it was about ‘we’, not ‘I’. I was really moved by that. She’s an amazing trouper.”