Despite wearing the crown, Henry’s place is not to be a king. That was considered weak at the time, because it means he can’t make decisions in the aggressive-minded way that is required in medieval England. I think his perceived flaws as a king are to do with his great genius, which is that he can hold these two conflicting ideas in his head and have love, essentially, for both parties. He doesn't have a barrier between what other people feel and what he feels. The first word that always came into my head with Henry VI was empathy. I always think that period between the ages of 18 and 24 is such a bizarre stage, and the two people at either end are always very different.

It was the question of how to play the transformative period of becoming a man. In the landscape of Shakespeare, that’s the first thing you need when you have no idea what you’re doing. He was clearly so passionate and articulate about the project. (Director) Dominic Cooke has also always been someone whose work I've admired. It didn’t feel like you were taking on the burden of the long history of those characters, which is exciting, for something which is so beautifully written and extraordinary. I think very few people know it, so unlike with a lot of Shakespeare, people don’t come to it with preconceptions. Even McKellen's fascist version had some nice meaty word chewing.First of all, it was a play that I didn't know at all. Only complaint is that I miss the tendency to indulge in a wee bit of ham acting that the Bard lends itself so well to. I love how Cumberbatch changes the emphasis and cadence of Richard's dialogues as well. Also worth noting is the sly tribute to Welles' Chimes At Midnight mud during the battle of Bosworth Field. Another thing that appealed was the wooing of Lady Anne with the elimination of the Prince of Wales' corpse in the background, which I always felt was an odd distraction. As an example, the historical Edward IV was an amoral hedonist as is portrayed here - not the somewhat daffy old man of the great Cedric Hardwicke in the fifties version. I have seen quite a few Richards, and this one stands out as the best for matching the historical participants characteristics to those in the quasi-propaganda of the Bard's backstory. As another poster stated, it is good to see the Henry plays to gain a greater perspective on Richard III.

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