Sumith Prasad
The filming of the Restoration era period drama ‘Monstrous Beauty’ is set to start in September in London, UK. The film involves an aspiring playwright Barbara Field who wants to be known for her wit rather than just appearances and takes the help of King Charles II’s mistress, Nell Gwyn, and the English playwright Aphra Behn in achieving her place within the court. She casts Vale, an aspiring actor without much talent, as the lead in her play with the help of Behn.
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Directed by Romola Garai (‘Atonement’), ‘Monstrous Beauty’ boasts Bella Ramsey (shot to fame from HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’) in the lead role, where she plays a playwright, Barbara Field, with hypertrichosis, a rare condition that covers her entirely in hair. This isn’t Ramsey’s first role in a period/historical setting – many of us know her as Lyanna Mormont from HBO’s legendary show ‘Game of Thrones’.
The cast includes Dominic West as King Charles II, Ruth Negga as Nell Gwyn (the king’s mistress), and Fiona Shaw as Aphra Behn, a well-known English playwright, who’s known for many pioneering works such as the play, ‘The Rover’ from the Restoration era. In May, the ‘Dark’ heartthrob, Louis Hofmann joined the already wonderful cast of the period piece and will reportedly play the role of Vale.
The release date for the film, produced by Stigma Films and Hanway Films, is speculated to be within a year. Both the production companies as well as the casting director Gemma Sykes are based in London, with Sykes still on a hunt for cast members for ‘Monstrous Beauty’.
Romola Garai, talking about ‘Monstrous Beauty’ in February, said: “I’m already working again with producer Matt Wilkinson on another feature that I am deeply passionate about. It is a period biopic with a twist set in the world of restoration theatre. I’m also thrilled about the TV projects I have in development and am relishing the opportunity to work in a huge variety of genres, from comedy to thrillers.”
