Jodie Turner-Smith
Credit: Instagram

One of 2019’s breakout actresses, Jodie Turner-Smith, has been confirmed to portray one of England’s most divisive queens, Anne Boleyn, in a new series.

The Queen & Slim actress will star in the “three-part psychological drama,” which is being made by Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, focused on the life and death of Anne Boleyn. In 1533, Boleyn convinced King Henry VIII to break from the Catholic Church to get a divorce from his then-wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry her.

Boleyn subsequently became the Queen of England from 1533 and 1536, during which time she gave birth to Queen Elizabeth I. She was executed on the grounds of treason, adultery and witchcraft on May 19, 1536, and her husband famously went on to marry another four women before his death.

In a statement about her casting, Turner-Smith, 34, said, “I am so excited to join these exciting filmmakers in bringing the story of one of history’s most controversial queens to the screen. Delving deeper into Anne Boleyn’s immense strengths while examining her fatal weaknesses and vulnerabilities, Eve [Hedderwick Turner]’s scripts immediately captured my imagination.”

Jodie Turner-Smith
Credit: Getty

The actress continued, “In the hands of Lynsey Miller, the legend of this formidable queen and fierce mother will be seen as a deeply human story that is still so relevant for today. I look forward to bringing my heart and spirit into this daring retelling of the fall of this iconic woman.”

Of course, just like Lahana Lynch’s casting as the first Black 007 agent, Turner-Smith’s new role as Boleyn has garnered the usual amount of pathetic racist criticism from those who think a Black woman shouldn’t be able to portray a white one. But the joke’s on them because, judging by Turner-Smith’s acting in other projects, she’ll not only play Boleyn, she’ll absolutely kill it.