Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Mary & George Episode 3.
Nicholas Galitzinehas walked a long road since his debut performance in 2014’sThe Beat Beneath My Feet. From hisEd Sheeransinging Prince inCinderellato a ditzy jock inBottoms, the actor has quite animpressive and diverse body of workbehind him. The Starz series,Mary & George, however,allows the actor a chance to further display just how skilled he is indeed.
Loosely based on the true storyof Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore) and her son, George (Galitzine), the show follows the two as they infiltrate the 1600s court of King James I (Tony Curran), mostly thanks to the intimate relationship Mary has manipulated between the king and George. The show has wasted no time deep diving into the character of George, with each of its three episodes thus far exhibiting just how complicated, vulnerable, and twisted he can be. While the actor has more than proven himself in his past roles, George’s arc and the speed at which it flows have allowed the actor to not only challenge himself and succeed, but itshows how naturally he can handle such complicated material.
Mary & George
‘Mary & George’ Allows Nicholas Galtizine To Exhibit His Range
Galtizine hasreally caught the public eye, playing a comedic antagonist inBottoms, a charming prince whowins the heart of the president’s son inRed, White & Royal Blue, and, recently, starring as a pop idol alongsideAnne HathawayinThe Idea of You.Mary & Georgeallows the actor to continue to show his vast range of talent.
Thus far,each episode has portrayed George in various states, from mental anguish to manipulative to even deathly ill. In fact, the very first episode introduces Galtizine hanging by the neck in a suicide attempt. Unhappy that his mother, Mary, is forcing him to go to France, thus taking him away from the woman he claims he loves, George is desperate to escape his fate. He appears resentful of his mother, respectful of his father, and cold when his lover mentions she thinks he has an attraction to men. He does end up going to France, where he has sexual encounters with men, andbegins to embrace a side of himself that he previously denied. When he next sees Mary, George has confidence and swagger about him. But the episode doesn’t let him off easy, as Mary prepares him to enter the king’s court and begin their ascent via George’s seduction. George soon finds a rival in the palace: Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset (Laurie Davidson), King James' personal favorite and secret lover.
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Co-starring Nicholas Galitzine, this irreverent historical drama is whip-smart and endlessly entertaining.
On-screen rivalriesgo back to the beginning of film and television. Not unlikeThe Favourite’s vicious, queer royal battle, George and Somerset’s feud gets heated and causes George humiliation. What results are his loss of confidence and a brilliantly portrayed spiral back to the anguish George felt at the premiere’s beginning. As George attempts to take his life a second time, he finds comfort in his mother’s reassurance and ambition.Galitzine plays the scene with a sad, almost childlike dependencethat not only solidifies the relationship, itmakes the audience root for the two schemers, despite the clear horror that’s to come.
The show’s second episode sees George totally embrace the role of the seducer. Galitzine plays the role with a suave swagger that not only helps the audience see how much time has passed and where the character’s intentions now lie but alsomakes it clear why King James would turn his attention to Georgeafter so many years being dedicated and blinded by Somerset. He plays each scene in court as if he owns the room, and, despite the jump in his character from week one to week two, it feels like a natural transition. He doubles down on George’s troubled mind when playing scenes “behind closed doors.” It’s an excellent contrast and bridges the character’s week one story to the second outing,one that could easily seem inconsistent in less skilled hands. But just when audiences think they’ve seen all the dynamics of which George (and by extension, Galitzine) is capable, along comes the show’s latest installment, “Not So Much as Love as by Awe.”
‘Mary & George’s Third Episode Solidifies Galitzine as a Skilled Character Actor
Though the episode opens shortly after his victorious first seduction of the king, George is frustrated that he hasn’t been able to overtake Somerset’s place in James’ eyes. Frustrated, George seeks comfort in a male sex worker and comes down with pox.Galitzine gives a truly memorizing performance as he sheds all typical screen vanity to appear sick, sweaty, and even repulsive. After being dismissed from the King’s palace, George is bedridden and seems like he may jointhe ranks of shocking character deaths. Of course, his skilled mother has a plan and not only uses George’s time away from the palace to accuse his nemesis of crimes against the king’s court, effectively ridding Somerset from James' good graces.
Sentenced to hang, Somerset visits the ailing George and begs him to get the king to stop him from hanging. Somerset offers his body as payment. George accepts, and when their rendezvous is over, George reveals he has no intention of helping. Though brief, the scene offers yet another, intense layer to Galitzine’s performance: That of total, repulsive cruelty. Still in hisspecial effects makeup,the actor is able to portray George’s anguish and victory at the exact same time, in the very same shot. George makes a miraculous recovery by the episode’s end and returns to court, playing cello for the king, and winning the upper hand. As Galitzine plays the instrument with intense focus, it’s equal parts satisfying as a viewer to see his character finally truly begin to win, but also chilling to know how far he’ll go to do so, and his expression says it all. The episode has been the biggest yet for George, going from ambitious, to near death, to cruel, and, finally victorious.The skill with which Galitzine handles the role proves he is one ofthe finest character actorsworking today.
Mary & Georgehas been a whirlwind of a series, not just for its viewers, but for its characters. Luckily, George is in the skilled hands of Nicholas Galitzine. The actor has certainly had a diverse career thus far, and the show allows him to show just how deep, detailed, and believable he can make a character. From being sympathetic and boyish to a flirtatious seducer to a man of cruel ambition,Galitzine has shown a side of himself that audiences have never before seen, and has proven himself a skilled character actor.
Mary & Georgeis available to stream on Starz in the U.S.
