Gillian Anderson Is Set to Make a Splash as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown's Fourth Season
As much as The Crown is about the British royal family, it's also about the country's government. Season one focused Churchill; season two was about his successors, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, and Sir Alec Douglas-Home; season three covered the Wilson Era. And the show's fourth chapter will explore Queen Elizabeth's relationship with Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female Prime Minister.
"The next season, it's no secret, will be the Mrs. Thatcher years, which is another 12 years," Robert Lacey, the show's historical consultant, previously told T&C.
Here's what we know so far about Thatcher's depiction in the Netflix series:
She'll be played by Gillian Anderson.
The show announced the news that Anderson (The X-Files, Sex Education) would be playing Thatcher on social media. "Thatcher was undoubtedly formidable but I am relishing exploring beneath the surface and, dare I say, falling in love with the icon who, whether loved or despised defined an era," Anderson said in a statement.
When offered the part, Anderson didn't hesitate.
“No hesitation at all,” she said, per Deadline. “There are a few things in life where, if they come your way, you just know you have to say yes, before the fear says no. But certainly, as we got closer to filming, I almost died. My heart has never beat so fast in all of my life.”
See a first look at her performance in the teaser for the season.
Then tune in November 15.
Her co-star Olivia Colman is already raving about Anderson's performance.
“She’s amazing,” Colman said. “The moment she opened her mouth in the read-through, you could feel everyone wanting to do a little silent ‘Yay!’ Because she was so brilliant.” Colman also noted that season four is advancing further into living memory, which changes the show.
“It’s interesting because, series three, for me, was like doing a historical piece,” she told EW. “Now, it feels less like that and more, I remember that! I remember that voice! I remember that moment! It feels quite different. We had our read-through and to hear the voices of Margaret Thatcher and all of that, it’s quite fun.”
Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth had a famously complicated relationship.
At this point, it's unclear exactly which historical events involving Thatcher will be part of the plot of the season, but expect her interactions with the British monarch to serve as fodder for the plot.
The Queen's biographer Andrew Marr notably described their relationship as "difficult." As he wrote in The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, "Here were two women of similar age but very dissimilar backgrounds; previously strangers, they were conjoined during the most tumultuous and confrontational years of postwar politics."
Marr also noted that the awkwardness between the two women stemmed from Thatcher being "too deferential" to the Queen.
“It was the starchiest relationship. She was deferential, much too deferential," a source told Marr for his book. "The Queen was not requiring so much."
When the show's fourth season premieres in just two days, The Crown fans will finally get to see their dynamic play out onscreen.
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