Two young British actresses star together as twin sisters in The Thirteenth Tale, a new 90-minute gothic suspense drama from Heyday Films coming to BBC Two this Christmas.
The Thirteenth Tale is a haunting psychological mystery set in the modern day, with poignant flashbacks starting in 1940. The disturbing story begins when a young female biographer, Margaret, played by Olivia Colman, sets out to interview a legendary writer whose health is fading. Vida Winter, played by Vanessa Redgrave, has, until now, refused to divulge the dark secrets of her life and past at Angelfield, her childhood home. An unlikely shared empathy is cultivated between the two women, and Vida’s story forces Margaret to finally confront her own ghosts.
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Game of Thrones star, 17 year old Sophie Turner (represented by Independent Talent) plays young Vida. Sophie is currently in the US filming on Barely Lethal. She said of her character in The Thirteenth Tale:
"Vida is very protective of Emeline and of anyone interfering with their relationship. They are each other’s existence; they can’t survive without each other. They were brought up very feral and didn’t really have anyone to teach them the rights and wrongs or social boundaries of life. They are very much involved with each other and have no experience of the outside world so they’re very interesting, intense characters."
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20 year old Antonia Clarke (represented by Troika), who played the doomed Lucy in Lightfields, plays her twin sister Emmeline. The twins are so consumed with one another that ultimately the relationship becomes very destructive. Antonia added:
"I play Emmeline March who is the simpler of the two. She’s very affectionate and the complete polar opposite of Adeline, who has a clouded intelligence and is quite dark, whereas Emmeline’s quite adorable and affectionate."
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The younger version of the twins is played by Madeleine Power (represented by United Agents), who played a young Catherine Tate in her Little Cracker for Sky.
Adapted from Diane Setterfield’s best–selling novel, the script has been written by Oscar winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Atonement, Dangerous Liaisons) and is directed by James Kent (Inside Men, The White Queen).
The Thirteenth Tale was filmed on location in Yorkshire including at Burton Agnes Hall stately home in Driffield, Yorkshire.
The Thirteenth Tale is a haunting psychological mystery set in the modern day, with poignant flashbacks starting in 1940. The disturbing story begins when a young female biographer, Margaret, played by Olivia Colman, sets out to interview a legendary writer whose health is fading. Vida Winter, played by Vanessa Redgrave, has, until now, refused to divulge the dark secrets of her life and past at Angelfield, her childhood home. An unlikely shared empathy is cultivated between the two women, and Vida’s story forces Margaret to finally confront her own ghosts.
"Vida is very protective of Emeline and of anyone interfering with their relationship. They are each other’s existence; they can’t survive without each other. They were brought up very feral and didn’t really have anyone to teach them the rights and wrongs or social boundaries of life. They are very much involved with each other and have no experience of the outside world so they’re very interesting, intense characters."
"I play Emmeline March who is the simpler of the two. She’s very affectionate and the complete polar opposite of Adeline, who has a clouded intelligence and is quite dark, whereas Emmeline’s quite adorable and affectionate."
Adapted from Diane Setterfield’s best–selling novel, the script has been written by Oscar winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Atonement, Dangerous Liaisons) and is directed by James Kent (Inside Men, The White Queen).
The Thirteenth Tale was filmed on location in Yorkshire including at Burton Agnes Hall stately home in Driffield, Yorkshire.