Where Have I Seen You Before, Nora Gainesborough?

Nora Gainesborough joined our True Blood heroes at the beginning of season five when, much to the consternation of many, we found out that Eric has a “sister” with whom he has a very complicated relationship. Both sired by Godric, but not actually physically related, they sparred like siblings and, well, did other things like champions.

Lucy Griffiths is the lucky woman who landed the role of Nora, and longtime readers know how excited I was when that was announced. (A clue: very.) I first encountered Lucy as Lady Marian in the BBC series Robin Hood which ran from 2006-2009 and is now available streaming free on Amazon Prime. I’m on my fourth rewatch of the series at the moment, and Lucy is still my favorite on-screen Marian (this is my second favorite), even though I disapprove of her treatment of Sir Guy. Seriously, that man was being manipulated by Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham; it’s no wonder he was so screwed up.

But I digress. Lucy’s Marian is independent, intelligent, politically savvy, loyal, brave, optimistic, and soft-hearted. She’s a fully-realized character, not some paragon on a pedestal for Robin to moon over, but rather a true partner in the battle for England’s freedom from tyranny. She’s basically Katniss Everdeen in medieval England.

So with that big act to follow, it’s no wonder Lucy took her time choosing her next major role. She made a few guest appearances on British TV, and co-starred in the miniseries Collision, before heading across the Pond to join True Blood. She’ll reprise her role as Nora in season 6 after filming roles in a pair of movies – Uncanny and A Winter’s Tale – both due in 2013.

Where have you seen Nora before?