Natalie Dormer may be known for playing the charismatic and ambitious Margaery Tyrell in the fantasy juggernaut Game of Thrones, but her latest role, as the pioneering real-life doctor Audrey Evans in the film Audrey’s Children, in theaters March 28, is decidedly different, yet no less powerful.
In the ’60s and ’70s, Dr. Evans revolutionized cancer care for children when she became the first female Chief of Oncology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and created the Neuroblastoma Staging System, an innovative tool that greatly impacted cancer diagnosis and treatment. In 1974, she cofounded the Ronald McDonald House, an organization that provided support for child cancer patients and their families, and is still going strong today with hundreds of locations around the country.
Dormer sat down with First for Women to share her thoughts on bringing this inspiring story to life and the legacy of her signature show.
How Natalie Dormer became Dr. Audrey Evans
As soon as Natalie Dormer read the screenplay for Audrey’s Children, she knew she had to play the trailblazing doctor. “The script was so compelling. I sat down to look at the first 10 pages, and found myself reading the whole thing,” she says.
While Dormer wasn’t initially familiar with Dr. Evans, she recalls, “I couldn’t believe that such a pioneering, fascinating, energetic human being had not been given her due and wasn’t credited in the way that she should be. I thought that if there’s going to be an attempt to give this woman the honor that she deserves, and have this story told, then I should be so lucky to be able to play her, truly.”
“At different times in your life and your career, you gravitate to different characters,” she says, “But the world is a troubled, dark place right now, and this film is a celebration of what the individual can achieve. Audrey would be the first to say, ‘Don’t think of me as a woman, think of me as a doctor.’ She is an individual who, to this day, 50 years after when the movie takes place, has literally changed the world for the better. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say millions of people’s lives were saved because of the ripple effect of her actions.”
“She believed that she could make things better and galvanized a lot of people around her, giving them hope and energy,” Dormer says. “In the current climate, watching a movie that makes you feel good and believe in what can be achieved is important.”
A penchant for period pieces
With her roles in the violent, long-ago realm of Game of Thrones, 16th-century England in The Tudors, ’30s L.A. in Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and now, the comparatively more recent (but still retro) world of Audrey’s Children, it’s safe to say that Dormer excels in period pieces of all kinds.
“The time period of a story is not necessarily the decision-maker for me,” she says. “I’m looking for immersive and unique stories.” When it comes to Audrey’s Children, “1969 is a very specific time in female liberation, and Audrey is in America because she cannot be a doctor in the U.K. She was told that she could only be a nurse, and that she had to be quiet, and she didn’t take that for an answer, so she went to America on a Fulbright scholarship, and the rest is history,” she notes, making for a fascinating narrative.
In the film, Dormer doesn’t just get to explore the particular gender dynamics of the era, she also gets to wear some evocative period fashions. “Depending on the era, it’s about finding these protagonists in these very particular situations where you watch them push through, and sometimes you’re lucky enough to end up in an era with absolutely fabulous costumes,” she says with a laugh.
“The authenticity of the look was very important to Ami Canaan Mann, our director,” she continues. “We had an incredible female production designer and costume designer who all did real due diligence. I was dressed in all authentic late ’60s and early ’70s clothes, and a lot of thought and care was put into the look and the palette of the movie.”
Looking back at ‘Game of Thrones’
Reflecting on her time on Game of Thrones, Dormer says, “It was right there at the forefront of the cinematic TV explosion that we now take for granted almost 15 years after it debuted. The way we consume our stories has completely altered.”
The actress has infinite gratitude for the role of Margaery and “the luxury of time” she had to develop the part, adding, “When I look back, I appreciate that Game of Thrones was a specific phenomenon at a very particular time, when people were changing how they took in their escapism. I’m sure they will be writing textbooks in 30 or 40 years where Game of Thrones will be one of the main programs that they cite as a turning of the tide in people’s relationship with stories. It was a privilege to be a part of that show.”
What’s next for Natalie Dormer—including her stage return
Since her time on the iconic HBO series, Dormer has dabbled in producing, and it’s something she hopes to do more of. “There’s never a grand plan,” she says of her career journey. “There are stories that I hope to tell, but I try not to talk about them, because anyone who knows about the industry knows how hard development is, and it’s always best to keep your powder dry until something is actually greenlit. You don’t want to jinx it!”
Regardless of potentially jinxing any upcoming projects, Dormer is keeping busy and will next be seen onstage playing Anna Karenina at England’s Chichester Festival Theatre this coming summer. “It’s a whole different creature and a different skill set from TV and movies,” she observes of theatrical work.
Asked if she has any dream roles, Dormer says, “It’s hard to imagine topping Audrey Evans right now,” and it’s clear that whether she’s a fantastical queen or a down-to-earth doctor, no one plays captivating women quite like she does.
