To me there is really only one actress that plays a convincing Anne, and that is Genevieve Bujold. I don’t know what it is but she just seems to have that spark to me at least which I feel was Anne.
Helena Bonham Carter played a very good Anne. I think it’s the way she used her eyes that really did it for me there. In the scene when she met Henry for the first time when she was there to ask his permission to marry Henry Percy. It was look she gave Henry and his reaction, that did it for me. Henry seemed to completely melt, a love at first sight sort of thing.
Natalie Portman was so so but to me she just didn’t seem to capture what I believe to be the real Anne.
As for the six fingers and 3 nipples crap about Anne I think that was put about to try and blacken Anne. Henry had wanted to try Anne for witchcraft among the other false charges levelled at her, so why not say she has 6 fingers and 3 nipples don’t all witches have some sort of deformaty which will single them out? Crap of course but that was the thinking back then.. By the way my brother in law is a Pagan high priest a white witch and he has no bits where he shouldn’t he’s just a normal person like the rest of us.

Boleyn said

To me there is really only one actress that plays a convincing Anne, and that is Genevieve Bujold. I don’t know what it is but she just seems to have that spark to me at least which I feel was Anne.
Helena Bonham Carter played a very good Anne. I think it’s the way she used her eyes that really did it for me there. In the scene when she met Henry for the first time when she was there to ask his permission to marry Henry Percy. It was look she gave Henry and his reaction, that did it for me. Henry seemed to completely melt, a love at first sight sort of thing.
Natalie Portman was so so but to me she just didn’t seem to capture what I believe to be the real Anne.
As for the six fingers and 3 nipples crap about Anne I think that was put about to try and blacken Anne. Henry had wanted to try Anne for witchcraft among the other false charges levelled at her, so why not say she has 6 fingers and 3 nipples don’t all witches have some sort of deformaty which will single them out? Crap of course but that was the thinking back then.. By the way my brother in law is a Pagan high priest a white witch and he has no bits where he shouldn’t he’s just a normal person like the rest of us.

I agree about Genevieve Bujold being one of the best Anne’s I’ve seen depicted in the movies. She makes one of the best Anne’s I’ve ever seen. My second fave, is of course, Natalie Dormer.
She did an amazing job portraying Anne, esp. the episodes of Anne’s final days in the Tower of London and the execution scene. I thought Natalie Portman was NOT a good Anne, and she didn’t capture Anne the way Dormer and Bujold did. There really wasn’t much depth to her portrayal of Anne either. Although, I suspect, the acting part had more to do with the script and the way they were trying to have Anne come across to the audience then Portman’s acting ability.

Boleyn said

To me there is really only one actress that plays a convincing Anne, and that is Genevieve Bujold. I don’t know what it is but she just seems to have that spark to me at least which I feel was Anne.
Helena Bonham Carter played a very good Anne. I think it’s the way she used her eyes that really did it for me there. In the scene when she met Henry for the first time when she was there to ask his permission to marry Henry Percy. It was look she gave Henry and his reaction, that did it for me. Henry seemed to completely melt, a love at first sight sort of thing.
Natalie Portman was so so but to me she just didn’t seem to capture what I believe to be the real Anne.
As for the six fingers and 3 nipples crap about Anne I think that was put about to try and blacken Anne. Henry had wanted to try Anne for witchcraft among the other false charges levelled at her, so why not say she has 6 fingers and 3 nipples don’t all witches have some sort of deformaty which will single them out? Crap of course but that was the thinking back then.. By the way my brother in law is a Pagan high priest a white witch and he has no bits where he shouldn’t he’s just a normal person like the rest of us.

I loved Genevieve as Anne…her portrail was superb. Living in Quebec I hear that accent every day…

Personally, I didn’t like HBC as Anne. She “felt” too old to me to be Anne… Perhaps I should watch it again and try to forget how Anne lost a wizarding duel with Mrs Overall

I read that too Sharon – how none of the main cast bothered with any deeper study of their characters other than the source material. How could they not be fascinated by the people they were playing?????? I had thought better of Natalie Portman in particular.

I think i said in another thread that the French actress Sophie Marceau would make a good Anne but Marion Cotillard would be brilliant too. I always picture Anne as having a slight French accent. Other than those two I’m not sure… as long as it’s not Anne Hathaway. For some reason she just annoys me.

LadyPrincess said

I don’t mean to inundate the board with all my topics, but I was wondering: if they did a new adaptation of Henry and his wives, or one focusing on AB which actress would you want to see playing her? For me it would have to be either Michelle Dockery or Gemma Arterton. They both have Anne’s dark features and I think they could portray the likeable and yet ambitious and determined side of her. And I once saw a TV interview with Gemma and she actually said that she was born with six fingers on each hand! I know that it’s most likely that Anne did not have this deformity, but still.

Lady Princess, I had not heard of Michelle Dockery so I looked up her image on Google and I can really see her as Anne. She does have the dark features and she is very beautiful. She seems like she could portray Anne’s spirit very well. What other roles has this actress played in?

For me I would love to see Charlotte Riley as Anne. It’s like you can see so much just by looking at her eyes but also there is a mystery to them. that is how I picture Anne to look like.

Also I believe Emma Watson would be a great Anne too. She maybe just 23 but she is so talented and so smart. Much like Anne. I believe Emma could bring something to Anne’s character that we have not seen before. All she would have to do is dye her hair a little darker.

I agree with Genevieve Bujold but I’m quite surprised no one has mentioned Dorothy Tutin.

Not sure who I would want to play her in the future – I think I’d rather be surprised by someone who does their research and recreates the vivacious and sparkling personality that’s spent 500 years fascinating people!