GENTLEMAN star Theo James has declared it’s his ambition to play King Henry III in a movie - insisting he would like to put a new spin on the story of the “maniacal” royal.
The 39-year-old ‘Divergents ‘ star’s latest role is in Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Gentlemen’ - a Netflix spin-off of the 2019 film of the same name - playing an aristocrat caught up in a cannabis-growing scheme but he’s admitted he wants to branch out in future and he relishes the idea of playing a historical character liked the famed King of England who had six wives.
Theo told the Guardian newspaper: “I’d like to play a seminal British figure in a different historical period. I know it’s been done so many times, but I’ve always liked the idea of exploring Henry VIII in a way that isn’t defined by the maniacal sociopath.
“Because he was that, but then there’s also the journey to become that man. And he shaped Britain and our sense of social understanding of what it is to be British.”
In the interview, Theo addressed speculation linking him to the role of James Bond - insisting he doesn’t want the part because it would be “terrifying”.
He said: “Everyone’s interested in that [playing Bond] because it’s a big part of British cultural identity, but that probably wouldn’t be me. “I do think there are better people for that job. And, honestly, it would be terrifying: if you do that, there’s no going back. You’re opening Pandora’s box there.”
Theo will next be seen in new movie ‘The Monkey’ which is based on a short story by horror writer Stephen King.
The plot focuses on brothers who discover their dad’s old monkey toy in the attic and it leads to a series of gruesome deaths. It’s due to hit cinemas in April.
