Competing biopics to chart lives and romance of Danish royal couple
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Version 0 of 1. She has been described as the Australian Kate Middleton, while he is a more follicly gifted Prince William. Now the lives of the Danish crown princess, Mary, and the crown prince, Frederik, are to be depicted on screen in 2015 with two television projects charting their lives and romance. Neither project has been approved by the palace, but Mary: The Making of a Princess is billed as a “true life fairytale” about how Australian Mary Donaldson met Prince Frederik at a Sydney pub in 2000. Her prince will be getting the biopic treatment in Frederik’s Young Years – focusing on his playboy reputation in the 1990s. The latter is directed by 36-year-old actor/screenwriter/director Christian Tafdrup, who played the dastardly TV executive Alex in the final series of Borgen (Danes in showbusiness tend to multitask). Despite Tafdrup’s royal project being unauthorised, the Danish ministry for cultural affairs has contributed 200,000 Danish kroner (about £21,000) towards script development via the Danish Film Institute. “It’s an ambitious project for me,” said Tafdrup. “I haven’t yet directed a feature film [he is to direct his first full-length feature in January] and I’ve got to make 10 years of Crown Prince Frederik’s life into one believable story. But I’ve got a good relationship with the film institute from working on short films for them, so I guess they trusted me to do a good job.” The government funding is indicative of the country’s relaxed attitude and irreverence towards its royals. While most Danes wouldn’t describe themselves as monarchists, Queen Margrethe is the most popular monarch in Europe with approval ratings of 70%. “We tend to feel close to our royals in Denmark,” said Tafdrup, “and they come across as quite normal. There’s a lot of gossip about them in magazines, but I was interested in the idea of Frederik as an ordinary guy, like the rest of us, who was just born into this really different life.” Frederik’s Young Years will chart the life of the prince between the ages of 22 and 32, featuring previous flames including former Danish MP Malou Aamund and model Katja Storkholm as well as Frederik’s meeting with his future wife during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. “I’ve spoken to a few people close to Frederik with his permission,” said Tafdrup, “but it’s a tricky area. I understand that the palace may not want me to do this film but my intention isn’t to be rude – I’m interested in creating fiction based on facts. It’s a universal story about what it’s like to be a young man coming of age, set in a royal environment – it’s definitely not a royal soap opera.” The competing biopic on the royal couple may not have such lofty ideals – it’s being produced by Fremantle Media Australia, the company behind the teatime telly classic and students’ favourite Neighbours. Mary: The Making of a Princess is about how difficult it was for the Tasmanian-born estate agent Mary Donaldson to adapt to royal life and how the “happy-go-lucky girl from Hobart” transformed into a royal renowned for her sense of style. Australian actors Margot Robbie, 24, and Rose Byrne, 35, are the frontrunners to play Mary, according to Australia’s Gold Coast Bulletin, but Fremantle Media’s Sydney publicity manager, Adrian Motte, insisted there was everything to play for. “We haven’t cast yet or shot a frame and we don’t have a director that we can announce at this stage but the project is being overseen by Fremantle Media Australia’s Head of Drama, Jo Porter. Jo oversees all of FMA’s drama output, including Neighbours,” said Motte. Most Danes seem untroubled by the impending explorations of their royal family. But after a recent spate of regal film flops, everyone will be hoping that their royal power couple won’t be handled in the vein of Grace of Monaco, Diana, or worse Hallmark’s 2011, William & Catherine: A Royal Romance – a film reviewed by the Guardian’s Stephen Bates as “toe-curlingly, teeth-furringly, pillow-bitingly ghastly”. |