QUOTES

• "She's one of the few Queen's who actually does not want him. She gets married to Henry, she doesn't really have a choice, but then she becomes fascinated by him. And because she hadn't had any children of her own she wants to heal Henry's relationship with his children." - Joely Richardson on her role of Catherine Parr in Season 4.
  

• “I think all her life has been duty”, explains Joely Richardson. When we meet Catherine Parr she’s fallen in love with Thomas Seymour – perhaps the first love of her life. “She’s totally lost her heart to him when Henry takes an interest in her and she gets married because she doesn’t have a choice. Initially she definitely doesn’t want to be with him. And when she starts to receive presents from him and his attention, it’s the worst thing that could happen to her. But then she becomes fascinated by him, she sees something lost in him. She’s still frightened of him of course. And I think she gets fascinated by court life and because she is an incredibly intelligent woman, I think she starts to ask how can she influence it in terms of her religion, in terms of helping Henry run court life better. So she gets interested by all that and forgets about Thomas Seymour – although of course in reality she went on to marry him after the death of Henry.”
  
  

• "My time in Ireland filming The Tudors was incredibly special for a number of reasons. Firstly to join such a talented crew, so well-oiled from working together for five years, was a great privilege. Still behind every great crew is the man at the top who makes it all possible, and that man was Morgan O’Sullivan. Morgan treated all departments with incredible respect, and I believe that that's the secret for allowing people to rise to their best. I was also lucky to be staying in Dalkey, so to wake up to that level of scenic beauty every day was an enormous treat. I did go swimming, in my swimsuit, not the done thing over there - despite the freezing temperatures! Took the Dart many a time into Dublin where we indulged in incredible food and music, and theatre - what more can you ask for! Returned again and again to the restaurant ‘The Winding Stair’, which is my favourite place. Perfect location and atmosphere."
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TRIVIA

• Has played a queen before in "The Affair of the Necklace" as Marie Antoinette and in "Anonymous" where she played Young Queen Elizabeth Tudor; while her mother played the older version of Queen Elizabeth. Her mother Vanessa Redgrave played the title character of Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 1971 movie "Mary, Queen of Scots" and Anne Boleyn in "A Man for All Seasons" (1966)
  

• Before she became an Actress, Joely was on her way to becoming a Tennis Star after receiving a scholarship to Harry Hopman Tennis School in Tampa, FL. Her father put a stop to it and Joely followed in her sisters footsteps as an actress.
  

• On the 23rd of July 2009 it was announced that Richardson had been cast as Queen Catherine Parr in the fourth and final series of Showtimes hit period drama The Tudors. The role would reunite her with her ex husband Tim Bevan who is part of the shows production team. It was further reported that Gillian Anderson had been the producers number one choice for the role but that her difficult working behaviour led to a rethink. Other actresses linked with the role included Keira Knightly and Kate Winslet.

• Acted alongside Sean Bean in the 1993 BBC TV Movie "Lady Chatterley". Bean would later take on the role of Robert Aske in the 2003 2-part TV Serial "Henry VIII".

• Joely's family is listed in the Peerage of Great Britain. Her grandfather Sir Michael Redgrave was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1952. He was also appointed Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog, Denmark in 1955 and he was knighted by the Queen in 1959. In 1967, Joely's mother, Vanessa Redgrave was also made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). It is understood that she declined a damehood in 1999.
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