“Henry VIII is a monster, but he’s our monster. No other nation has a king who had six wives and cut the heads off two. We’re perversely proud of Henry.” – Hilary Mantel
Welcome to year 1535! In the most delightful deleted scene in Wolf Hall, King Henry declares his age to the women in Thomas Cromwell’s household: “45 in June…”
Well, Henry is 530 years old today and popular as ever — to quote Damian Lewis:
“Henry, as a brand, is right up there with Coca Cola!”
I don’t think anyone can deny the recent contributions of Hilary Mantel’s brilliant work Wolf Hall & Bring up the Bodies — the books, the play and the TV drama to Henry’s as well as Tudors’ popularity in general! Mantel’s final installment in Thomas Cromwell series The Mirror and The Light is finally out and BBC has already confirmed they will adapt The Mirror and The Light as a sequel to the Golden-Globe winning Wolf Hall. We are hoping Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance will resume their roles as Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, respectively, in the new mini-series.
And now, in celebration of King Henry’s birthday, it is my utmost pleasure to re-visit the most memorable Henry moments in Wolf Hall TV Drama.
Long Live the King! Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Henry VIII: Revisiting Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall”
