By April MacIntyre
Mar 29, 2010, 14:55 GMT
"The Tudors" returns for its fourth and final season on Sunday, April 11 at 9 p.m. on Showtime.
British model Georgia May Jagger (R) with her best model award, with presenter British actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (L) EPA/DANIEL DEME
In the third season, King Henry VIII's (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) relationships with Jane Seymour (Annabelle Wallis) and Anne of Cleves (Joss Stone) crumbled.
Henry suppressed protests over England's break with Rome and the Catholic church, and the season ended with the execution of his cunning chief minister, Thomas Cromwell (James Frain)
Season two of “The Tudors” exceeded the first with deepening storylines and building court drama. It was the story of the fated climbing Boleyn family that took center stage.
That season was also defined by the unraveling of the Catholic Church and rise of Thomas Cromwell’s power and influence; it was Cromwell, a cunning self-educated man, who was an architect of the Reformation movement in England with the introduction of religious leader Thomas Cranmer to King Henry VIII's court.
These actions in the earlier seasons were the frame for Henry’s courtside politics and affairs of love in season two, three and now four.
And like season one, they are penned as a clever blend of actual history and creative commissioned entertainment by the hand of show creator and writer, Michael Hirst.
The cast and crew worked their magic at Ardmore Studios, near Dublin. The crew remains the same - and this season you will again truly appreciate the outstanding achievements of Emmy award winning costume designer Joan Bergin, who took the honor in 2007 for her exemplary work on “The Tudors.”
Her craftsmanship abounds in the gowns and adornments for all the King's wives, as well as his own regal costuming.
Bergin’s eye captured the smallest details of the commoners and various court denizens. “I did a lot of research into Spanish and Italian fashion from the period. I’ve amalgamated Tudor style with more European influences, so overall the look is softer. ..This season we’ve created in the region of 1500 costume pieces,” revealed Bergin to M&C in a past interview.
The final season will feature Henry's last two wives, Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant) and Catherine Parr (Joely Richardson).
Rhys Meyers will be donning prosthetics and changing grey hair to more accurately portray Henry in his older, more unhealthy years.
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