His Dark Materials' Ruth Wilson would reprise role of Mrs Coulter on screen
The BAFTA nominee is interested in returning "if there's an opportunity".
Anyone who watched the dramatic ending to His Dark Materials will know there is little chance that we’ll see Ruth Wilson’s Mrs Coulter in live action again.
Hell, that’s the case for all of the characters, after the BBC series neatly wrapped up Philip Pullman’s iconic story after three action-packed seasons.
Yet, in the world of animated reimaginings à la The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, Marvel’s What If…? and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, could we possibly see Wilson’s villain-turned-saviour on the small screen in some capacity in the future?
Well, while nothing’s in the works right now, the Mrs Coulter actor has said she would revisit her iconic role "if there's an opportunity" to do so.
When asked about whether she’d be interested in returning to Pullman’s world on screen, the His Dark Materials star exclusively told RadioTimes.com: "Yeah, maybe, potentially, if there's an offer of something else. It was really special to be part of that show, and it was a wonderful team.
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"These books are globally loved. And the crew on that show, and the writers and the teams and the actors and everyone who worked on that show, were huge fans of the books, and you could tell that their passion for the characters and the worlds that Philip created came through.
"I loved performing in that space."
Though another potential small-screen outing is but a pipe dream for fans right now, Wilson has today returned to the world of His Dark Materials in audio form – fully narrating Northern Lights as an audiobook, before doing likewise for the rest of Pullman’s iconic trilogy in early 2025.
Wilson admitted that it was an "honour" to be asked to re-enter this multiverse, especially as a huge fan of the author herself.
"I'm really enjoying going back into that world, and kind of existing in his words.
"When you're doing an adaptation of something, there are some of his lines and his words, but it's a script writer who's adapted it, so actually, to sit inside and read his language and the way he's constructed and brought those characters to life is really quite special.
"And I'm always amazed at how moving a lot of the material is, as well as how it’s full of very vivid and brilliant characters. And that's what drew me to the books in the first place, and drew me to play Mrs Coulter in the first place.
"But getting to sit back inside that and actually read his lines and words, it feels very special."
Particularly exciting for the actor was the ability to step into the shoes of other fan-favourite characters, with Wilson channelling the performances of her TV co-stars to help bring them to life.
"I'm about to read some Lee Scoresby and some Stanislaus Grumman, so I've got Lin-Manuel Miranda and Andrew Scott in my head, which is not a bad pairing. I definitely am channeling some of their performances.
"It's really helped, actually, just to humanise them and bring the energies that those actors brought to their performances into these and, you know, make them feel natural and honest.
"It's great fun. I mean, it's a lot of work – you realise how many characters there are and how many different worlds, and it's been a challenge – but I've really enjoyed doing it."
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Northern Lights narrated by Ruth Wilson is out now in audio. Listen on Audible, Spotify and all audiobook retailers.
If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
