British actress Camilla Luddington recently was propelled from the chorus line, so to speak, into the international spotlight with the announcement that she will play Kate Middleton in the TV-movie “Will and Kate” about her romance with Prince William, for the Lifetime cable network. The film is shooting as we speak and will air on April 18, in advance of the actual royal nuptials on April 29.
“We want to tell the story of how their friendship came to be and how this blossomed into a romantic love affair,” Lifetime President Nancy Dubuc told EW.com. “I think the world is waiting to be charmed in the way we were charmed by Diana. We want to remind ourselves of the fantasy of being a princess or queen.”
Luddington recently told The Press Association that she considered it “an honor” to play the part. However, she jokes that her time in Los Angeles has left her a bit Americanized. “My dad was very excited for me to be playing an English role. He was, like, ‘Remember you’re British,’ and he was very, very patriotic about it and very excited.”
Until now, U.S. audiences have seen her in bit parts on the soap “Days of Our Lives” and in “CSI.” Most recently she appeared in “The Defenders” and the TV film “Accidentally in Love.”
Nico Evers-Swindell costars as Prince William. Luddington described the handsome New Zealander as “fabulous” and “easy to fall in love with.”
Trivia:
We’ll soon have dueling Kates onscreen: Deadline.com reports that the Hallmark Channel is fast-tracking “William & Kate: A Royal Love Story” with an airdate currently set early August. That film’s writer and executive producer, Linda Yellen, also exec-produced “The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana” in 1982.
Camilla Luddington also happens to be from Berkshire county; a place where Middleton has lived in the past. 
Pictured, Camilla Luddington (as Kate) and Nico Evers-Swindell (as Prince William) are on the set of “Will and Kate” in Bel Air, California, with some scenes shot at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). However, through some fancy Hollywood artistry, the final version of the scenes shot in southern California will cut out all of the palm trees and sunny skies of L.A. to recreate the couple’s romance in Edinburgh.
CLICK HERE for Luddington’s Press Association interview
CLICK HERE for the EW.com story.