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Casting Call: Travels of Lady Hester Stanhope

Lady Hester Stanhope is a pretty plum part; she's independent, strong, and, especially towards the end of her life, a little unstable. We're going to go with Mia Wasikowska who, between Tracks, Crimson Peak, Jane Eyre, and Madame Bovary, seems like an obvious fit.

 

 

Some suspect that the disintegration of Lady Hester's romantic relationship with Sir John Moore spurred her travels. A Lieutenant-General in the British Army who fought in the American War of Independence, Moore was killed at the Battle of Corunna in 1809 at the age of 47. We'd like Tom Ellis to make a cameo as Moore.

 

Dr Charles Meryon, Lady Hester's physician, also accompanied her on her travels and later wrote a book on the subject, Travels of Lady Hester Stanhope; forming the completion of her memoirs. We nominate Tom Hollander to fill the role.

 

 

 

Bashir Shihab II, the emir of Lebanon, was one of the famous figures Lady Hester encountered in the Middle East. At first they got on well, then they didn't. We think Egyptian-born, NYU grad Sayed Badreya would make an excellent emir Bashir.

 

 

Miss Williams was Lady Hester's traveling companion. Perhaps she could be played by Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson.

 

 

 

Before leaving England, Lady Hester managed the household of her unmarried uncle William Pitt the Younger, who just happened to be Prime Minister at the time. In our version, he's played by Jack Davenport.