So...This Is the True Story of Timothée Chalamet’s New Movie ‘The King’
The world’s collective boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, is back. This time, he’s playing the historical role of Prince Hal, or King Henry V, in Netflix’s The King. And yes, he has a bowl cut.
As wonderful as it is to have 2 hours and 20 minutes of new Timmy content, it’s important to note that The King is kinda confusing. Here’s the deal: It’s loosely based on Shakespeare’s group of historical plays called The Henriad, which dramatized the real British monarchs of the 15th century. It’s basically a movie based on Shakespeare’s version of real life.
But wait! There’s more! The brains behind The King wanted to use Shakespeare’s dramatized plot and fictional characters (like Joel Edgerton’s Sir John Falstaff), but they changed the dialogue and some endings. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the film also features a much stronger love interest for King Henry V—a 15th-century semi-feminist played by none other than Lily-Rose Depp. Anyway, here’s everything you’ll need to know about this movie.
So WTF is real?
Most of the plot and characters in the film are real. (Like, there was definitely a King Henry.) Of course, some characters have been changed, but it’s accurate to say this movie is loosely based on real events.
What about King Henry V and Falstaff’s bromance?
In Shakespeare’s plays, these two remain best friends until Prince Hal becomes king. At this point, Prince Hal dismisses John, who kinda just...dies? In The King, the same drama goes down, meaning King Henry V forgets him once he takes the crown but later apologizes and asks him to join the ranks. During the Battle of Agincourt, Falstaff dies and King Henry finds him in an emotional scene.
However, Sir John Falstaff is completely fictional. It is said that he’s based off Sir John Oldcastle, but that’s not a real dude.
Why was Prince Hal really banished from his father’s court?
The prince and his father did have a rough relationship, but it’s unclear if he was really as “banished and wild” as in the movie. In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, the king is upset when Prince Hal takes his throne after mistaking him as dead when he was really just sleeping (ah, rookie mistake). But the two forgive each other, and the king gives Prince Hal the crown before dying.
In The King, Prince Hal doesn’t admit his love for his father in his dying moments and their relationship is a lot rockier. They fully hate each other until the king dies.
How long did Prince Henry V rule?
Prince Henry V ruled from 1413 until his death in 1422.
Was the Battle of Agincourt real?
The Battle of Agincourt is VERY real. It’s considered one of the greatest English victories in the Hundred Years War. The French were expected to win, but King Henry V’s leadership eventually won it. This is just proof that you can always count on Timothée.
Did King Henry V really marry Catherine of Valois?
Lily-Rose Depp, Timmy’s real-life girlfriend, plays the French princess who marries King Henry. In the plays, Catherine is quiet and meek, but in The King, she definitely has more of a voice.
And Robert Pattinson is in it?
R-Patz plays Louis, the son of the French King Charles VI. IRL, Louis was comical and outrageous. In the movie, there’s a scene where he makes fun of King Henry’s...I’ll let you watch it and see.
Okay, what about that ending?
So the film ends in the midst of the glory of King Henry’s reign. But in reality, two years after the movie would have ended, King Henry died of dysentery and his infant son snatched the throne. Truly wild.
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