Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan Battle It Out in Mary Queen of Scots Trailer
Margot Robbie and Vogue’s August cover star Saoirse Ronan are up against each other again. The Oscar-nominated actresses (who were both vying for Best Actress during the 2018 awards) have traded in figure skating costumes and Catholic schoolgirl plaids for sweeping gowns fit for a queen. Literally.
Focus Features released the first trailer today for Mary Queen of Scots, which stars an unrecognizable Robbie as one of King Henry VIII’s daughters, the OG Queen Elizabeth, and Ronan as her younger (and in Elizabeth’s eyes, extremely threatening) cousin Mary Stuart. The highly anticipated film is set to be released in December but seeing these two warring redheads in action should tide history buffs over until then.
For those who may not be familiar with the family drama, Mary Stuart directly threatened Elizabeth’s throne when Stuart returned to her native Scotland after her husband, a King of France, died. Both queens were navigating life as monarchs in a traditional, patriarchal world while trying to remain in charge and well, alive. “Your gifts will be your downfall,” Robbie spits at Ronan in one scene.
Stuart’s life has been rather mysterious compared to the extravagant coverage of Elizabeth I’s (Elizabeth, Elizabeth I, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, to name a few). Other adaptions of the Scottish queen’s life include a highly inaccurate CW show titled Reign, which touched upon the relationship between Elizabeth and Mary in the later seasons.
The film is based on a book by John Guy and directed by Josie Rourke. It also stars Jack Lowden, Gemma Chan (of the upcoming Crazy Rich Asians), and Ian Hart. Watch the trailer, above.
