WA's Kane shines in Reign

When Perth actress Adelaide Kane first signed on to Reign she could not have fathomed the shock, controversy and die-hard fandom the historical fiction series would inspire.

In her mind, the 23-year-old was experiencing her big breakthrough in the US by securing a lead role as renowned monarch Mary, Queen of Scots but soon discovered that the show dubbed "Gossip Girl meets The Tudors" was already generating widespread hype beyond her imagination.

When the pilot launched it not only sparked a dedicated fan base who called themselves "Royals" but also came under fire for blending historical events with fantasy, spicing up the lives of courtiers and giving the clothes and music a contemporary edge.

But Kane makes no apologies for the exaggerated elements of the show, saying they never set out to perfectly mirror the past.

"We use the historical events as a framework for the show and it is a backbone that we will remain true to but it allows us to do fun and interesting things with other storylines around that," the Claremont- raised star explains by phone from Los Angeles, her home for the past four years.

"It gives us a lot of room to play and create interesting, fun and entertaining stories, which ultimately is what we are trying to do. Even though we are not particularly historically accurate, I have noticed a lot of fans on social media have started taking a deeper interest in history as a result of the show."

Kane adds she, too, spent time reading up on the real-life Mary.

"I felt like it was my responsibility to do some research into the historical figure," she says.

"It's difficult because you are not going to make everyone happy, so you really do have to form your own character and stay true to that."

Reign charts Mary's rise to power in the French court as a teenager and her blossoming romance with the dashing Prince Francis, who is played by English actor Toby Regbo.

The show's creators previously said they chose to focus on the queen because her interesting life and multiple husbands made her story "sexier" than her counterparts.

And while there are the usual intrigue, deception and murder plots that one could expect from a medieval drama, the writers have remained true to that theme by amping-up the racy scenes for Mary and her handmaidens.

With the series finally set to premiere in Australia after launching in the US last year, Kane admits she is apprehensive about her family viewing the show's more risque parts for the first time.

"I am excited that it is finally going to show in Australia and I know my family is looking forward to tuning in every week," she says.

"Although I am a bit nervous about that because now the whole family will be able to watch me making out with Toby and getting half-naked every other episode.

"But I hope Australians really dig it because I still call Australia home and it would be nice for Aussies to be proud of the work I have been doing."

Kane is now back in Toronto to film Reign's much-anticipated sophomore season after the commercial success of the debut series, which saw the former St Hilda's student recently nominated for the Monte- Carlo Television Festival and Teen Choice awards.

Thanks in part to her run on Reign and, before that, as a supporting cast member on Teen Wolf, the actress now has a social media following in excess of 300,000.

But Kane remains overwhelmed with the support from the public, saying she is touched by how "crazy loyal" her fans are.

"I think it is something that you hope for, a solid base of dedicated fans who really enjoy the show," Kane confesses.

"That's why I am an actor in the first place - I want to entertain people and touch them and give them something they value."