Lily Cole will make her Shakespeare’s Globe debut in Simon Armitage’s new play The Last Days Of Troy this summer, marking her first major role on stage.
Playing from 10 June at the outdoor venue following a run at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, Armitage’s dramatisation of Homer’s The Iliad tells the story of two countries moving towards war, revealing a world locked in cycles of conflict and revenge, of east versus west, and a dangerous mix of pride, lies and self-deception.
Best known for her hugely successful career as a model, Cole will fittingly be playing Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world according to Greek myth.
The role follows Cole’s announcement last year that she had given up modelling to continue her career as an actor, telling The Independent: “I’m not modelling anymore It’s been a crazy journey since first being spotted but modelling never felt like a long-term plan. I’ve wanted to act since I was a child.”
Since moving into the world of acting in 2007, Cole has appeared in numerous films including St Trinian’s, The Moth Diaries, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, Passages, There Be Dragons and Snow White And The Huntsman.
While her role in the Globe’s forthcoming drama marks her first role in a conventional production in London, the actress has previously appeared in the Old Vic’s annual 24 Hour Plays Celebrity Galas, in which a group of high-profile performers work with writers and directors to create a line-up of new plays in just 24 hours.
Further casting for The Last Days Of Troy is yet to be announced.