Honestly, it’s kinda wild to look back at 2013. That was the year the BBC and Starz dropped a ten-part historical drama that, at the time, some critics dismissed as a "medieval soap opera." But if you revisit the actors in The White Queen today, you’ll realize the casting director was basically a time-traveling genius. They didn't just find people who could wear velvet; they found future superstars.
You've probably seen them everywhere since. Rebecca Ferguson is currently leading massive sci-fi epics, while others have moved into the Marvel Cinematic Universe or dominated prestige British television. The show itself, based on Philippa Gregory’s The Cousins' War novels, gave us a gritty, often magical-realist look at the Wars of the Roses. It wasn't just about the guys in armor hacking at each other. It was about the women in the corners of the rooms making sure those guys actually stayed on the throne.
The Queen herself: Rebecca Ferguson's big break
Before she was Ilsa Faust in Mission: Impossible or Lady Jessica in Dune, Rebecca Ferguson was Elizabeth Woodville. It’s hard to overstate how much this role changed her life. Tom Cruise famously saw her in this and basically said, "I want her for my next movie." You can see why. As Elizabeth, the "commoner" who captivates King Edward IV, she had this ethereal, almost spooky intensity.
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She played Elizabeth as a woman who was simultaneously a devoted mother and a cold-blooded political operative. One minute she’s wading into a river to perform a folk-magic ritual with her mother, Jacquetta, and the next she’s staring down the most powerful men in England without blinking. It earned her a Golden Globe nomination, which is pretty rare for a genre that usually gets ignored by major awards.
The chemistry she had with Max Irons was the engine of the show. They made you believe in a marriage that was historically scandalous—a king marrying a widow for love instead of a princess for a treaty.
Max Irons and the York brothers
Max Irons played Edward IV, and yeah, he definitely had the "pretty boy" vibe down. But he also captured Edward’s slow slide from a vigorous young warrior to a bloated, complacent king. There’s a bit of a running joke among fans about the "fat suit" he had to wear in later episodes. It was... not great. It looked a bit like a sofa cushion was stuffed under his tunic, but Irons sold the performance anyway.
Then you’ve got Aneurin Barnard as Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III). People are still obsessed with his portrayal. Instead of the hunchbacked villain Shakespeare gave us, Barnard played Richard as a loyal, brooding, and deeply sensitive soldier. He did a lot of his own stunts, too. He’s gone on to do some incredible work in Dunkirk and The Goldfinch, but for a certain segment of the internet, he will always be the "correct" Richard III.
And we can't forget David Oakes as George, Duke of Clarence. If you need someone to play a charming, backstabbing snake, Oakes is your guy. He made George’s descent into paranoia and his eventual (literal) drowning in a vat of Malmsey wine strangely tragic.
The "Red Queen" and the "Kingmaker"
The show wasn't just about the Yorks. Amanda Hale’s performance as Margaret Beaufort—the "Red Queen"—was nothing short of terrifying. She played Margaret as a religious zealot who was absolutely convinced that her son, the future Henry VII, was chosen by God to rule. She’s often the most meme-able part of the show because of her constant, whispered prayers and her terrifyingly stiff posture.
James Frain played Lord Warwick, the "Kingmaker." Frain is one of those actors who has been in every historical drama ever made, and he brought a weight to Warwick that made you understand why the king was so afraid of him. When he eventually exits the series, you really feel the vacuum of power he leaves behind.
Surprising faces you forgot were there
Did you know Jodie Comer was in this? Well, technically she wasn't—she starred as the lead in the sequel series, The White Princess. But the DNA of the actors in The White Queen paved the way for her. However, the original series did feature Eleanor Tomlinson as Isabel Neville. Right after this, she became a household name in Poldark.
Janet McTeer also deserves a massive shout-out as Jacquetta Woodville. She brought a level of gravitas to the "witchcraft" elements of the show. She made you believe that the Woodville women actually did have a connection to the water goddess Melusina. Without her, those scenes might have felt a bit cheesy, but McTeer is a powerhouse who makes everything she touches feel like high art.
Why the casting worked (and why it still matters)
The reason we’re still talking about these actors in 2026 is that they didn't play these people as historical statues. They played them as messy, desperate, and occasionally very annoying humans.
- Nuance over tropes: None of the "villains" feel like caricatures. Even Margaret Beaufort, as intense as she is, is driven by a deep, maternal fear.
- Physicality: The actors didn't shy away from the dirt and the blood. The battle scenes, while limited by a TV budget, felt heavy because the actors looked exhausted.
- Growth: Watching Rebecca Ferguson age through the ten episodes is a masterclass in subtle makeup and body language.
What to watch next if you're a fan
If you’ve finished the series and you're craving more from this specific group of talent, you've got plenty of options. Rebecca Ferguson is obviously the queen of the box office right now, so check out the Dune series or her Apple TV+ hit Silo. For more of that specific British period drama itch, Max Irons starred in The Woman in Gold and The Holzer Files.
If you want to stick with the story, the "sequels" are your best bet:
- The White Princess: Starring Jodie Comer as Elizabeth of York. It picks up right where the first show ends.
- The Spanish Princess: This covers Catherine of Aragon’s arrival in England and features a whole new cast, but keeps the same vibe.
The legacy of the actors in The White Queen is basically a "Who's Who" of modern cinema. It’s the kind of show that rewards a rewatch just so you can point at the screen and say, "Wait, is that the guy from The Batman?" (Yes, it’s Robert Pattinson’s The Batman co-star Rupert Graves as Lord Stanley).
To get the most out of your next rewatch, try tracking the shifting allegiances of the Stanley family. Rupert Graves plays Lord Stanley with such a slippery, non-committal energy that you never actually know whose side he's on until the very last second of the Battle of Bosworth. It’s a masterclass in "playing both sides" that mirrors the actual historical record surprisingly well.
Actionable Insights for Fans
- Check the Starz vs. BBC edits: If you originally watched the show on the BBC, you missed out on some of the more "mature" scenes and extended battle sequences that were included in the Starz US version. It’s worth finding the Starz cut for a fuller experience.
- Read the source material: Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter provide much deeper internal monologues for the characters, especially Anne Neville.
- Follow the cast's new projects: Many of these actors have moved into executive producing their own work. Rebecca Ferguson, in particular, has become a major voice in the production of her series Silo.
The show might be over a decade old, but the talent it launched is still very much at the top of their game. It’s rare for a miniseries to have such a high "hit rate" for its cast, making it a permanent fixture in the history of prestige TV.