Trivia for
Elizabeth (1998) More at IMDbPro »

• The costuming and shot composition of the coronation scene is based on Elizabeth's coronation portrait.
  
  
• Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes) recites "My true love hath my heart" to Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett), a sonnet written by Sir Philip Sidney, son-in-law of Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), trusted advisor to the queen.
  
  
• Joseph Fiennes and Geoffrey Rush also star in 1998's other hugely popular costume drama, Shakespeare in Love (1998), in which Queen Elizabeth (Judi Dench) figures prominently.
  
  
• 1998 was the only year that two performers were nominated for Academy Awards for playing the same character in two different films in the same year. Judi Dench was nominated (and won) for Best Supporting Actress for playing Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress for portraying Elizabeth I in this film.
  
  
• John Gielgud's final feature film.
  
  
• First English speaking movie debut for ex-soccer star Eric Cantona. It was rumored that both stars Christopher Eccleston and Angus Deayton actually wanted the producers to cast Cantona in a small French role in the film following his retirement from football in 1997 because: 1. Cantona began to study acting during his infamous 9 month ban in 1995. 2. Eccleston and Deayton were Manchester United fans themselves.
  
  
• Elizabeth enters the Tower of London through The Traitor's Gate from the river Thames.
  
  
• Cate Blanchett was chosen as Elizabeth after she was seen in a play in Sydney.
  
  
• Only one of three roles that actress Meryl Streep was turned down for.
  
  
• Producer Alison Owen's two children appear in the movie: actor Alfie Allen and Lily Allen, who is best known as a successful pop singer.
  
  
• Christopher Eccleston's character the Duke of Norfolk doesn't actually do much in the film despite being the principle villain. So in order to create a sense of action for him the director chose to show Norfolk in motion as much as possible.
  
  
• Nicole Kidman was originally considered for the lead.
  
  

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