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    Jodie Turner-Smith Opened Up About The Racist Backlash She Received For Playing Anne Boleyn

    “I did know [that this role] would be something that people felt very passionately about."

    Joyann Jeffrey
    by Joyann Jeffrey

    BuzzFeed Staff

    You know Jodie Turner-Smith.

    The actor becomes the first Black person to play Anne Boleyn, who was the queen of England from 1533 to 1536, in the UK's upcoming Channel 5 movie Anne Boleyn.

    But because of this role, Jodie has received a lot of backlash for portraying a historic white queen on camera. However, she says this role was made for her because she relates to the character more than her haters know.

    “I had just become a mother, and that was what really jumped out at me, the story of Anne as a mother,” Jodie recently explained to Glamour.

    “I did know [that this role] would be something that people felt very passionately about, either in a positive or a negative way,” she continued. “Because Anne is a human in history who people feel very strongly about.”

    She added, “More than anything, I wanted to tell the human story at the center of all of this.”

    Jodie also loves that there will be an all-woman production team, with the exception of one man who is working with her.

    “I do also enjoy working with men, and I’m not limiting myself in that way,” she said.

    “But I think it’s important right now that women get to tell our own stories — in the same way I’ve relished the opportunity to work with Black filmmakers, because there’s a certain nuance to the storytelling that I don’t find when I work with white filmmakers.”

    She added, “When something’s helmed by female filmmakers, there’s so much power in that.”

    Anne Boleyn is set to premiere on Channel 5 on June 1 at 9 p.m. You can watch the official trailer for the series below: