Trivia / Cursed (2020)

• Awesome, Dear Boy: Gustav Skarsgard was reluctant to do another medieval show after finishing on Vikings but ended up reading all the scripts at once.
  "I couldn’t put them down. I read all these five scripts in one go, because I wanted to know what happens next. I was immediately invested in these characters, especially the Merlin character. I thought this was just too much fun, and I couldn’t pass on it."
• The Cast Show Off: Katherine Langford performed the song "I Could Be Your King", which plays over the scene in "Poisons" where Nimue and Arthur make love.
• Darkhorse Casting: The series's cast is made up of rising stars - Katherine Langford being known from 13 Reasons Why but still only appearing in supporting roles outside of that - and respected character actors such as Peter Mullan, Sebastian Armento and Gustaf Skarsgård.
• Dawson Casting:
  • Nimue is described as being a teenager, while Katherine Langford was 23 when the first season was filmed.
  • Emily Coates was 24 when she first played Sister Iris, who is indicated to be a teenager and referred to as a "child" by other characters. In the right clothes and make-up Coates can easily pass for a teenager, though.
• Dyeing for Your Art:
  • Katherine Langford had to learn to horse ride and sword fight in a very short space of time.
  • Devon Terrell also learned sword fighting and horse riding.
• Fake Brit:
  • Katherine Langford (Australian) and Catherine Walker (Irish) as mother and daughter, Nimue and Lenore respectively.
  • Devon Terrell (Arthur) is American-Australian. He has an English parent, but grew up in Australia and therefore fakes an accent.
  • Shalom Brune-Franklin is a marginal example; born in England with Mauritian-Thai heritage and growing up in Australia but doesn't have to fake an accent.
• Follow the Leader: Followed on the heels of The Witcher (2019) as one of several dark fantasy series released after Game of Thrones ended in 2019. Like Game of Thrones, Cursed also attempts to follow multiple intersecting plotlines and POVs (although unlike GoT, this series has a clear central protagonist in Nimue).
• Playing Against Type: Katherine Langford was previously best associated with teen dramas like 13 Reasons Why and Love, Simon. There are several moments in the series that bring to mind Hannah Baker, but overall it's quite different to see Katherine playing an Action Girl in a fantasy story. Not to mention being a Fake Brit as opposed to a Fake American.
• Quietly Cancelled: The series originally aired on Netflix in July 2020, after which there was no word on whether it was renewed or cancelled for a whole year. Fans got particularly worried when they learned props from the show had been sold off in late 2020, given the obvious implication they wouldn't be needed anymore. It was reported in July 2021 that the cast had been released from their contracts, confirming the show was indeed cancelled, though Netflix has never made an official announcement.
• Self-Adaptation: Frank Miller wrote the original graphic novel and co-wrote the series.
• Similarly Named Works: There is a film from 2005 also called Cursed, which also features a heroine getting wolf-themed powers (though the film is about werewolves rather than faeries).
• So My Kids Can Watch: Tom Wheeler developed the series partly in the hopes that it would introduce his daughter to Arthurian mythology.
• Typecasting: Gustaf Skarsgard admits to being right at home as an eccentric, destructive character in a medieval setting. He even went straight from Vikings to this.