Poldark star Aidan Turner plays Leonardo da Vinci in new, queer Amazon Prime series: how to watch
Aidan Turner stars in the title role of Leonardo. (YouTube)
Leonardo, which depicts world-famous painter da Vinci as queer, is premiering on Amazon Prime Video this month.
The eight-part series, which stars Poldark heartthrob Aidan Turner as the renaissance artist, is streaming on Prime Video from Friday, 16 April.
It will tell the story of the 15th-century Italian artist’s career, his personal life including his relationships with other men, as well as his relationship with his father and his muse Caterina da Cremona. In one scene, da Vinci makes out with a younger male model, before the camera cuts away to the authorities, who are tipped off about the passionate clinch.
The plot reads: “Viewers will learn how Leonardo grew into an unparalleled genius whose work overturned the established order. His restless curiosity flitted between arts, science and technology, driven by a profound quest for knowledge and determined to unfold the mysteries of the world around him.
“The series attempts to unlock the enigma of this extraordinary man, through an untold story of mystery and passion.”
The cast also features Freddie Highmore, James D’Arcy, Matilda De Angelis and Alessandro Sperduti and Carlos Cuevas as Leonardo’s assistants.
It’s been penned by The X-Files writer Frank Spotnitz and recently premiered in Italy ahead of its global release on Prime Video.
It’s also been confirmed that a podcast series will be released to coincide with the show when it airs in the UK. It will be available through Amazon’s Audible, Spotify and Apple Music.
The eight-part podcast, Leonardo: The Official Podcast, will launch on 16 April and take a deep dive behind-the-scenes with presenter Angellica Bell.
The first episode will include an interview with the show’s star Aidan Turner, while the follow-up episode will explore masculinity on-screen and living as a queer man in 15th-century Italy.
The show’s producer, Luca Bernabei recently spoke to Variety about the inclusion of da Vinci’s queerness in the series saying: “We talked about this a lot, and we believe that this was part of his life. So it was right to represent it.
“My personal feeling was that I didn’t want to pigeonhole Leonardo [with this aspect]. I didn’t want to put him in a corner. Leonardo, as a character, is larger than his private life. He belongs to world heritage.
“So of course we were representing that part of this life.”
Fans will also get to discover more about da Vinci’s art and life from expert curators and historians, examining why he’s still such an important figure hundreds of years later in the podcast.
Find out more below on how to stream the eight-part series this April.
How to stream Leonardo
The show will be available on Prime Video from Friday, 16 April. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial and then pay £7.99 per month or £79.99 per year.
To find out more about Leonardo and to sign up to Amazon Prime go to the website here.
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