David Tennant is hailing Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko’s poisoned widow Marina as a ‘heroine’ after meeting her while preparing to play her late husband in harrowing ITV drama
- David Tennant says widow of poisoned Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko is a ‘hero’
- The 51-year-old actor met Marina while preparing for his role as her murdered husband in upcoming ITV drama Litvinenko, which is set to premiere on ITVX on December 15
- Doctor Who actor David said Marina was his incentive to take on the role of former federal security officer Alexander, calling it “remarkable”.
- Russian Federal Security Service and KGB officer and outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, Alex died in 2006 after ingesting a radioactive substance
David Tennant says widow of poisoned Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko is a ‘hero’
The 51-year-old actor met Marina while preparing for his role as her murdered husband in upcoming ITV drama Litvinenko, which is set to premiere on ITVX on December 15.
Doctor Who actor David said Marina was his incentive to take on the role of former federal security officer Alexander, calling it “remarkable”.
Praise: David Tennant, 51, says widow of poisoned Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko is a ‘hero’
He told The Mirror: “I think she was the motivation to tell this story. Marina is a remarkable person. She is the heroine in many ways.
“When you meet her, you only get this extraordinary woman who wants to scream about it as loud as possible for the rest of her life.”
Upon first viewing the show, David morphed into the Russian spy and Putin critic for the tense drama.
TV part: The actor met Marina (pictured) while preparing for his role as her murdered husband in upcoming ITV drama Litvinenko
In the first trailer for the new miniseries, he lies in a hospital bed before dying of poisoning.
Alexander, a former Russian federal security service and KGB officer and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in agony in November 2006 after ingesting a rare radioactive substance.
David said Marina “fearlessly” devoted her life to making sure Alexander’s death “wasn’t in vain,” and the widow continues to speak publicly about her late partner to make sure “the world knows what happened.”
TV drama: At first glance at the show, David (left, on show) morphed into the Russian spy and Putin critic (right, 2006 before his death) or the tense drama
Marina is portrayed in the series by Russian-American actress Margarita Levieva, who starred in The Deuce and The Blacklist.
A public inquiry in the UK in 2016 concluded that Russians Dmitri Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi had deliberately poisoned Alexander by mixing polonium-210 into his drink at the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair.
Led by former High Court judge Sir Robert Owen, the inquest found the tea poisoning had “probably” been carried out with the consent of the Russian president.
On Screen: Marina is portrayed in the series by Russian-American actress Margarita Levieva (right), who has starred in The Deuce and The Blacklist
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) also ruled last year that Russia was responsible for his assassination following a case brought forward by Marina.
Russia has consistently denied any involvement in the deaths and has refused to comply with international arrest warrants issued for Kovtun and Lugovoi.
Sir Robert’s investigation found that the use of the radioactive substance – which could only have come from a nuclear reactor – was “strong evidence” of state involvement and that the two men had likely acted under the direction of Russia’s FSB security service. for which Alexander worked.
Possible motives included Alexander’s work for British intelligence after fleeing Russia, his criticism of the FSB and his association with other Russian dissidents, while it was said that the antagonism between him and Putin also had a “personal dimension”.
According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Kovtun died of Covid-19 in Moscow in June.
On Air: TV drama Litvinenko is set to premiere on December 15 on ITVX