10 iconic female characters from historical dramas to celebrate Women’s History Month
By Mads Lennon
2. Elizabeth Woodville from The White Queen
Starz is home to several iconic female characters, including characters and stories of The White Queen, The White Princess and The Spanish Princess. But it all started with Rebecca Ferguson’s performance as Elizabeth Woodville in The White Queen, which later led to the other spin-off series, all of which are based on The Cousins’ War novels about the women of the Wars of the Roses by Philippa Gregory.
Her portrayal of Elizabeth helped Ferguson become internationally acclaimed and led to a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Miniseries. Critics loved Ferguson’s work as Elizabeth. Even Tom Cruise loved watching her work on The White Queen when it aired on Starz. Her performance as the queen led him to hand-picking her to star opposite him in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Ferguson’s career has blown up significantly since then with roles in movies like Florence Foster Jenkins, The Greatest Showman, The Girl on a Train and Doctor Sleep.
She’ll also return for Mission Impossible 7 and is set to star in Dune. Apart from Elizabeth, the story also follows Anne Neville and Margaret Beaufort. All three women manipulate events and partake in political scheming behind the scenes to gain power. In contrast, Elizabeth is the novel protagonist, Anna and Margeret star in their own novels, The Red Queen and The Kingmaker’s Daughter.