James Norton will soon be starring as Harold Godwinson, also known as Harold II, in the upcoming BBC drama, King & Conqueror.
The historical series will chart the relationship between Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, and William the Conqueror before their meeting on the battlefield at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. In a new interview, James has spoken about meeting French President Emmanuel Macron, when they both attended an event at the British Museum ahead of the Bayeux Tapestry moving to the institution.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe iconic artwork depicts the events of the battle, which saw Norman emerge as victorious and become the first Norman King of Britain.
Reflecting on his conversation with the French President, James said: "I met President Emmanuel Macron recently at the event at the British Museum where the Bayeux Tapestry is being moved to, and I was very quick to reassure him that we had told the French story, the Norman story, with as little bias as possible.
"There are a lot of stories about William post the Battle of Hastings itself, and how he acted pretty monstrously, but there's no doubt that he had his own domestic space, his relationship with Matilda and his son.
"Nikolaj [Coster-Waldau] brought so much complexity to that role, and as a result, I think that the show feels balanced. We didn't want one hero or one villain, we wanted the audience to be split and we wanted people to sit on the sofa and have someone on Team Harold and someone on Team William."
The 40-year-old actor continued: "I said to Macron: 'I promise you that we have been fair in depicting both sides of the story', and a lot of that was to do with Nikolaj's brilliant, sensitive performance."
The star also hailed the upcoming series as "extraordinary", saying: "I remember being constantly surprised reading scripts and saying, 'Is this real? This seems completely mad,' and invariably, he'd be like, 'no, that is exactly what happened.' It was extraordinary."
What to expect
According to the synopsis, the series tells "the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea".
© Lilja Jons/BBCIt continues: "Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the English throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown."
HELLO!'s TV and Film Writer, Abby Allen, previously said of the series: "Despite studying history at school, King & Conqueror feels like the perfect way to brush up on my English knowledge. And with the incredible James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (aka Jaime Lannister) leading the charge, I can’t wait to be swept up in this epic retelling."
