British actor Lesley Manville is known for her Oscar nominated performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. More recently, she gained recognition for playing Queen Elizabeth’s sister Margaret in Netflix’s The Crown. The veteran is now set to feature in a prominent role in the much awaited Russo Brothers series Citadel starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the lead.
Despite being an integral part of the action series, Manville has stated that she is wary of shows of this nature and will not be watching it even though she has played a part in it. In a recent interview, the star detailed her reasons behind her intriguing decision.
Lesley Manville Is Against On-Screen Violence Towards Women
Lesley Manville surprised viewers when she announced in an interview that she will not be watching her Amazon show Citadel in which she has an important role to play. The star spoke about her distaste for violence and how it was depicted on-screen especially towards women and stated,
“I get offended by it. I really think it’s bad news. People talk about Game of Thrones. I’ve never been able to watch it. Also, it’s pretty violent towards women. I really don’t want to see that”.
Manville added that her aversion to violence will deter her from seeing her own spy thriller Citadel while also stating that she was yet to see the final cut to gauge how much bloodshed and violence was depicted in it. The Crown actor further stressed that these kind of portrayals did not indicate progress for women in the industry and served as an obstacle for them to demand better pay and treatment.
Lesley Manville Plays A Chilling Villain In Citadel
Oscar nominee and veteran Lesley Manville is all set to scorch the streaming space with her role in Amazon’s spy thriller Citadel. The actor is expected to be the antagonist of the series. Manville plays menacing British ambassador Dahlia Archer who has Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas caught in her web. From the initial teasers, Manville will also lock horns with another talented Hollywood actor Stanley Tucci. Showrunner David Weil aptly described her role and said,
‘She’s the villain of the story, but as all the best villains are, she’s the heroine of her own story. So we needed an actor who could achieve both: to be both bone-chilling and elegant.’
Co-produced by Amazon Studios and the Russo brothers, Citadel depicts an independent global spy agency tasked to uphold the safety and security of all people that was destroyed eight years before by Manticore, a powerful syndicate manipulating the world from the shadows. Citadel will premiere on April 28th with a pair of episodes followed by a new episode launching each Friday thereafter through May 26.
Source: Deadline
