Anne Boleyn

Ewan McGregor as Jesus in Last Days in the Desert made in 2015. How much has changed in TV and movies since then?

Or how about The Young Messiah with English actor Adam Greaves-Neal as Jesus. Made in 2016 - has much changed since then.

Both those are American productions and rightly or wrongly I suppose they choose actors who will attract audiences. I'm sure more effort would be made if we actually knew what Jesus looked like, but we don't. It was 2,000 years ago. We do know what Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I looked like.

Come on Chestnut we know who Jesus certainly didn't look like.
Anyway tonight is the night.

We don't really know what Anne Boleyn looked like. The only contemporary portrait we seem to have is that old coin.

Chapuys writing at the time was not impressed with her physical appearance. She was considered to be rather charismatic at a time when ‘courtly love’ was all the rage. Flirting without any serious intentions.

More seriously, I prefer historical drama to be as realistic as possible with our very limited knowledge and seen in retrospect. If it’s anything like Netflix version of Mary Queen of Scots (an excuse for a sexual romp), I’ll give it a miss.

I can’t imagine Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King being portrayed by a white actor and I suspect there would be an uproar from the black community. As for Jesus, IMO he would have been of eastern Mediterranean heritage and therefore not blonde haired and blue eyed.

Having said all that, I hope the actor all the best for the project.

Chapuys was the Spanish ambassador so I wouldn't expect him to have a very favorable opinion about her.

His view on her appearance was heavily impacted by the Spanish interest and "the matter", as it was called.

Hithere, that’s so true but there is very little contemporary information re Anne Boleyn. Of course he had his opinion and there are portraits from the period that can be viewed differently. It doesn’t alter the likelihood that AB was of European descent.

ayse It doesn’t alter the likelihood that AB was of European descent.
Have you researched her ancestors? I've always read that she was English.
Quote: She was probably born at Blickling Hall in Norfolk. Her father was Sir Thomas Boleyn, a minor courtier with a talent for foreign languages; he was of London merchant stock and eager to advance in the world. Like most men, he chose to marry well. His bride was Elizabeth Howard, daughter of the second duke of Norfolk and sister of the third duke.

As far I am aware England is in the continent of Europe...? ?

Lots of comment on this and it's not even been shown yet. I think the trailer looks good and I am looking forward to it,

It got a good write up in the weekend Financial Times, so I expect it is probably pretty good!

Alegrias1

As far I am aware England is in the continent of Europe...? ?

'of European descent' implies a possible mixed heritage of European countries. If someone is English you say English, if French you say French etc. It's not a term that implies they are actually just English. Peter Ustinov is of European descent.

Oh dear.

The name Boleyn arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Boleyn family lived in Lincolnshire and various other areas throughout Britain. The name of this family, however, does not refer to these areas, but to the French Channel port of "Boulogne."

When is the cut off?

So you're saying her father may have had some distant French ancestors? Clutching at straws here. Anne was born more than 400 years after the Norman Conquest and would have had several generations of ancestors during that time. The name Boleyn is inherited from just one male line. Goodness knows how many females were in her tree during that period, none of them Boleyns. In 400 years you would have many hundreds of ancestors, only one was originally a Boleyn.

Oohh, I just found out Ustinov was descended from an Ethiopian aristocrat.

Chestnut

So you're saying her father may have had some distant French ancestors? Clutching at straws here. Anne was born more than 400 years after the Norman Conquest and would have had several generations of ancestors during that time. The name Boleyn is inherited from just one male line. Goodness knows how many females were in her tree during that period, none of them Boleyns. In 400 years you would have many hundreds of ancestors, only one was originally a Boleyn.

European, African, Asian etc - where do you think the English fit?

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What do people think of the actors that have played Jesus?

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Whitewavemark2

What do people think of the actors that have played Jesus?

Robert Powell. Best Jesus ever. Clearly not the right nationality. But it didn't matter.

Alegrias1

Oh dear.

The name Boleyn arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Boleyn family lived in Lincolnshire and various other areas throughout Britain. The name of this family, however, does not refer to these areas, but to the French Channel port of "Boulogne."

When is the cut off?

I'm not so sure. Where did you find this info Alegrias1?

I was always under the impression that the different spelling of the surname made it very difficult to pin down where it came from, let alone tie it closely to Boulogne.

It was spelt as Bullen as I posted earlier.

When she was writing in French she still signed it 'Bulen'.

Well if you were looking for authenticity a black Anne Boleyn is the least of the problems. A Queen who walks around the palace at night alone and jumps on the king!! It's the Tudors seen through the lens of Eastenders!!!