Joanne Whalley has been cast as the female lead in Showtime’s crime drama “The Borgias.”

The English actress will star opposite Jeremy Irons as Vanossa, mother of the Borgia children who were fathered by Rodrigo Borgia (Irons) before he became one of history’s most infamous popes.

Vanossa once was a courtesan with a disreputable past.

Whalley has played several roles on TV, including the title character in the 1994 TV miniseries “Scarlett” and the 2000 TV movie “Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.”