The actress stars in new adaptation The Hollow Crown this weekend – and she wasn’t the only first-timer on set…

“I was a Shakespeare virgin before The Hollow Crown,” says Keeley Hawes. “I didn’t grow up reading Shakespeare and my family certainly weren’t in the habit of going to see the plays in the theatre.” For the normally feisty actor, star of The Durrells and Line of Duty, the Bard’s blank verse was blankly terrifying.

“I was really frightened of it, frightened of the words and of that whole world. But it’s a box I had to tick. I couldn’t get away with not doing Shakespeare any longer.”

She needn’t have worried. Hawes’s performance as Elizabeth Woodville, the commoner Queen of King Edward lV, is one of the highlights of The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, the overall title of the three films that conclude BBC2’s landmark production of Shakespeare’s histories, comprising Henry VI, Parts I, II and III, and Richard III edited into three two-hour films.

The cast of the three films is a spectacular representation of the best of British acting talent, so from a standing start Hawes found herself acting with eminent Shakespeareans including Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Sophie Okonedo, Hugh Bonneville, Adrian Dunbar, Anton Lesser, Jason Watkins and Samuel West among others.

“I started reading about the real-life Elizabeth and I decided to see my character as a sort of Princess Diana figure,” she explains. “Elizabeth is incredibly bright and able – far ahead of her game politically – but she is looked down on by the royal family because she’s been married before. When she gets together with Edward, it’s a bit of a shocker, but they have a happy marriage, at least in Shakespeare’s version – although he was dying of syphilis, so I’m not sure how happy it would have been really. Once you understand the characters, the language falls into place – you realise that it’s just people talking to each other. And I was doing scenes with Judi Dench, for goodness’ sake! So I found myself having a lovely time, and if I can have a lovely time with Shakespeare, anyone can!”

For series director Dominic Cooke, the Shakespeare virgins (the role of Henry VI is played by Tom Sturridge, another first-timer) brought a particular energy to the set. “Of course, it’s wonderful to have all these experienced actors who are absolutely at home in Shakespeare. Benedict is a brilliant Richard III, just brilliant. I came home from shooting each day thinking, ‘We have genius here.’’ But then you have someone like Keeley, who’s never been near Shakespeare. She came in, did the work, watched and learned from Judi and I think she’s as good as anybody.”