‘The Serpent Queen’: Liv Hill Says Catherine de’ Medici’s Wedding Night Scene “Influenced” Her Whole Performance

Starz‘s new costume drama The Serpent Queen introduces its thorniest historic heroine yet: Catherine de’ Medici.

Orphaned young in life and abandoned for years in a convent, Catherine de’ Medici does not have the royal origin story that the likes of The Spanish Princess‘s Catherine of Aragon or Becoming Elizabeth‘s characters did. Catherine was part of the powerful, rich, and controversial Medici clan who ruled over Florence during the 15th and 16th centuries. When her uncle became Pope, she was moved into his palatial home and soon sold in marriage to the court of France. In exchange for a vast dowry, Catherine would wed the King’s younger son Henry. What Catherine didn’t realize was that the teenaged Henry was already in the thrall of the 35-year-old Diane De Poitiers.

Catherine de’ Medici would grow into a shrewd, dangerous, and powerful ruler. Naturally, she would have her detractors. So riddled is her legacy with scandals and allegations of witchcraft that the CW show Reign made her an outright villain. Starz’s The Serpent Queen flips the script, letting Catherine tell her own story from her own fourth-wall breaking POV. Samantha Morton stars as the older Catherine in later episodes of The Serpent Queen, but the first three episodes are a spectacular showcase for the talents of 22-year-old actress Liv Hill. As the young Catherine, Hill is true punk rock underdog. She is obstinate, crafty, and utterly heart-breaking.

Decider spoke with Liv Hill about working with industry great Charles Dance, what drives Catherine, and why the brittle teenager fell so hard for the sweet Prince Henry (Alex Heath). Hill revealed that Catherine’s bold decision during a sex scene in The Serpent Queen Episode 1 inspired the rest of her spell-binding performance…

DECIDER: The relationship between Catherine and Pope Clement is so fascinating. He kind of pulls her out of obscurity just to use her as a pawn, but he comes to respect her. What did you take away from that relationship? And what was it like working with Charles Dance?

LIV HILL: I mean, it was magnificent. Charles is a legend on and off camera. It was just so much it was just a really nice person. And I thoroughly enjoyed working with him even for a short amount of time. I hope that he enjoys his performance because I think it’s brilliant and very funny.

What I took from their relationship… I mean it’s quite horrific the way he talks to her. It’s not, it wasn’t horrific back then, but viewing it from the 21st century is quite disturbing. However, it’s also very funny. I think the way Justin is written it is very subtle, but very humorous. And despite being shocked and horrified at the same time, you also feel like you want to laugh at their relationship and the way they talk to each other and are with each other. I think it’s quite a nice relief for the audience. A bit of a breather. And you can feel both at the same time. You can feel horrified and also find the situation amusing.

You know, I also love the scene in Episode One where she chooses her entourage. She is basically collecting this island of misfit toys, but she finds a pretty big use for all of them. What is she thinking when she’s doing that?

Yes, I mean, I think she’s definitely got quite a lot of power more than she’s ever had before. And what has never changed in her life is this desperate need to survive. She has been emotionally and physically abused her whole life, belittled, degraded. I think for her, that is her utmost, her purest intention. That will influence any of her decisions.

So when she’s choosing her band of misfits, as you said, she’s not doing it based on: does she feel a connection with them? She’s doing it on: what can they bring for her? Are they are they going to help her win alliances in court with some people? And through the voiceover of Samantha Morton as well, I think you can understand why she chooses the people she ends up choosing. But yes, I really enjoyed that scene as well watching it.

The scene where Catherine meets Henry is so heartbreakingly sweet and pure. What is it about Henry that makes Catherine fall so hard? What was it like working with Alex Heath?

I mean, he’s a prince. At the end of the day, he’s a prince! And also this is her first time falling in love. She’s a teenager at the end of the day. Her brain is not fully formed. She’s got all this angst and insecurity and jealousy — like all of us have teenagers, or most of us anyway. And so I think the idea to play that vulnerability was really, I loved doing it. Especially those beginning scenes when it’s not about securing her position by producing an heir; it is just about bonding with another boy her age.

Working with Alex Heath? I adore Alex Heath. He is so wonderful to work with and I loved doing all our scenes. I think he plays Prince Henry so well and authentically. And even though Catherine wasn’t the love of his life, I think you do see a fondness and respect between the two of them, which maintained until he died.

I thought was interesting that obviously they have to consummate relationship in front of the court. It’s very awkward. But Catherine takes control. What did that action tell you about her when you read the scripts?

Well, that was actually a topic of conversation before we started shooting. Because for me, she was a virgin. And the idea of, you know, going on top of a man for your first time in front of all those people… It felt there’s something I didn’t really relate to and then it didn’t resonate with me. And so that was what [Serpent Queen writer Justin Haythe and I] were discussing. And Justin, I remember him being very…he wanted that position. He didn’t want Henry taking charge. He wanted Catherine and he explained why and it really sort of changed my view of her. And again, it was it was because of her purest intention was survival. It didn’t matter how awkward or uncomfortable or or unnatural it felt to her. She needed to get it done because she saw that Prince Henry was not going to do it. And actually having that conversation with Justin about that particular sexual position, it actually influenced so much of the way I played her and the character.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.