“The White Princess” showrunner Emma Frost doesn’t mind if people describe her new Starz show as a feminist alternative to “Game of Thrones.”
“The series of books ‘Game of Thrones’ is adapted from is based on The Wars of the Roses, the period of British history that ‘The White Queen’ and ‘The White Princess’ is also based on,” Frost told CNN. “It’s inevitable, of course, that there would be similarities between the two shows, simply because their source material is identical.”
“The White Princess” is female driven by design, Frost said, both in terms of the characters on the show and the people behind the scenes.
“You get the flip side of ‘Game of Thrones’ in that it really is the women this time slugging out their own destinies and turning the wheels of fate, rather than the male characters,” she said.
“The White Princess,” like its predecessor “The White Queen,” is based on the “Cousins’ War” novels by British author Philippa Gregory.
The eight-episode series focuses on the marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth “Lizzie” of York, whose alliance as King and Queen of England is meant to end the Wars of the Roses.
Jodie Comer, who plays Lizzie, said she was drawn to the role because it tells the story from the perspective of the women in the British royal court.
The cast is filled with veteran actresses, including Michelle Fairley as Henry VII’s mother and Essie Davis as Lizzie’s mother, the Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville.
There are some robust scenes as the women seek to establish their strongholds within the kingdom.
“It was so empowering, as a young actress, to be working with these women who are so talented and so lovely,” Comer said. “To be around that energy is so amazing.”
Comer said she values landing the role of a strong protagonist.
“These scripts don’t come along often. When they do, you have to treasure them,” Comer said. “To be given that much material and such a complex woman, I feel very grateful.”
Jacob Collins-Levy, who portrays Henry VII, said he hopes viewers take away an important lesson from the production.
“History has been — particularly from this period — has been written by the men,” Collins-Levy said. “I hope [viewers] will take away a uniquely feminine viewpoint of this history.”