Jim Broadbent unrecognisable as he embraces grotesque role in Amazon Prime Video's My Lady Jane
Jim Broadbent unrecognisable in grotesque role for new Amazon Prime series
The cast and creators of My Lady Jane have revealed that renowned actor Jim Broadbent thoroughly enjoyed his role as the repulsive Duke of Leicester.
The Amazon Prime Video drama begins with Lady Jane Grey (played by Emily Bader) being arranged to marry the elderly Duke to maintain their family's high standing in Tudor England.
In the opening episode, Leicester pays a visit to Jane's mother Lady Frances Grey (Anna Chancellor) and her three daughters, instantly leaving a disgusting impression.
Covered in cold sores and inappropriately flirting with Jane's younger sister Katherine (Isabella Brownson), the final straw comes when he places his gout-infected foot on their dining table.
When developing the Harry Potter star's revolting appearance for the Duke, showrunners Gemma Burgess and Meredith Glynn told Express.co.uk how much Jim relished the process.
"We were doing his makeup during prep and he was getting these awful teeth fitted," Gemma remembered.
"And we were like, 'How do you feel about cold sores?' He was like, 'Yes! I love them!'"
After Jane rejects Leicester's advances, he shifts his focus to Katherine after cautioning her that all his previous wives died during childbirth.
Despite his controlling relationship with Katherine, which would be entirely unacceptable today, Jim and Isabella quickly formed a lovely friendship on set.
"He struck up a friendship with Izzy, who was his unwilling child bride," Gemma shared.
"And she teased him, shockingly. And he was very good for it. He's the best."
Co-stars Rob Brydon and Anna Chancellor couldn't hide their reactions to Jim's transformation, with fans set to be equally gobsmacked.
"He's great," Rob commented. "He threw himself into it, didn't he?
"It's not often you that see something that extreme where you kind of go, 'Oh God!' He really was..."
"It was so funny," Anna chimed in. "And him being really into my young daughter...", leading Rob to interject with a disgusted, "Urgh!"
"He's excellent," Rob continued. "And he's Jim Broadbent so you know he's going to be great. But I've not seen him do that before."
An AI tool was used to bring an extra layer to this story.