Alexander: The Great

Welsh actor Alexander Vlahos is about to become a household name with his portrayal of the effeminate and gay Philippe in the upcoming BBC2 drama series Versailles

WORDS: SIMON BUTTON PHOTOGRAPHS: LEIGH KEILY

WHEN ALEXANDER VLAHOS heard that the role of Philippe, in bawdy French drama Versailles was up for grabs, it was the character description that sold him on the role. “The script described him as a 17th-century David Bowie,” the Welshman recalls, “and that was an immediate hook. I was surprised that someone like him actually existed at that time.”

Actually, it’s safe to say there was no-one else like Philippe, just as there’s never been anyone quite like Bowie. Imagine, if you will, Aladdin Sane being allowed to romp around the French palace, marrying a woman to fulfil his duties as second-in-line to the throne (Philippe was Louis XIV’s younger brother), fathering children but dressing up in female attire whenever the fancy takes him, bedding younger men and embarking on an affair with a French nobleman.

The nobleman in question, Chevalier de Lorraine (played by Degrassi: The Next Generation star Evan Williams), was, by all accounts, the love of Philippe’s life. “And the way their relationship is dealt with is one of the things I’m most proud of,” says Alexander, adding that Louis, who became king at the age of four, is seen having relationships with seven or eight women. “None of them is based on love, they were all based on duty or passion or religion [Louis was a fanatical Catholic].”