Josephine died of pneumonia in the town of Rueil-Malmaison in France on May 29, 1814. Here’s the real story on what we know about Josephine’s death. The Napoleon movie does a great job of showcasing Josephine’s life while she was with Napoleon, but many people don’t know what happened to her upon her 1810 divorce with Napoleon after they were unable to have a child there were even rumors that she later died of a “broken heart.” Her first husband, the French politician Alexandre de Beauharnais, was killed by guillotine during the French Revolution, and Josephine herself was imprisoned for three months.

Josephine lived an interesting life prior to meeting Napoleon, as she had actually been married before.

Of course, there are things written about her, but these accounts are often in the context of the things that Napoleon did, and there are fewer writings on her than there are about him,” Kirby explained.īut while there are fewer writings about Josephine, there definitely isn’t a lack of interest in her real life story. “Playing Joséphine de Beauharnais was very different. She recently opened up to Vogue France about how she prepped for the role.

Fun fact-Napoleon was the one that dubbed her Josephine, as the future French empress had previously gone by Rose for most of her life.īritish actress Vanessa Kirby (who earned an Oscar nomination for Pieces of a Woman and also has appeared in both the Mission: Impossibleand Fast and Furiousfranchises) stars as Josephine, opposite Joaquin Phoenix in the title role of Napoleon. The movie takes you inside Napoleon’s fierce army and war strategy, as well as his personal life, with a strong spotlight on his relationship and marriage to Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerim, or the person we all now know as Josephine Bonaparte. There’s nothing Hollywood loves more than a biopic, and Ridley Scott’s new film Napoleon takes another deep look at the titular historical figure.

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