Gillian Anderson was scared to get Margaret Thatcher's role right
That accent, that tilt of the head, and that attitude of Britain's first female prime minister were not easy to pull off. Sex Education and The X-Files alum Gillian Anderson had to undergo a whole lot of transformation in speech and body language to mimic the Iron Lady on screen for the fourth season of Netflix smash-hit drama The Crown. Here are more details.
Even show creator Peter Morgan egged Anderson
Anderson, who has been receiving critical praise for her impersonation of conservative leader Margaret Thatcher, apparently faced the chills when rehearsals paved way for shooting scenes for the drama. She even had her partner and The Crown creator Peter Morgan prompt her to bring out Thatcher's character as Anderson struggled to get the little details about the late prime minister right.
How Anderson prepped herself
In fact, Anderson went through several video interviews and textual material to get the hang of Thatcher's reaction to any question asked. In an interview with Harper's BAZAAR, she thanked the team of The Crown for being available the year-round for her to understand Thatcher better. From the wigs to Thatcher's eye shadow, Anderson had to do a lot of back and forth.
Anderson felt she wasn't ready for long
"I think Peter said, 'Where is she? When is she coming out?' And he was absolutely right, because I just wasn't quite yet, I don't know," said Anderson, when asked about her on-set experiences. "I didn't feel like the environment was quite - not safe enough - A lot of, not necessarily anxiety, but really not wanting to get it wrong," the actor added.
Anderson let go of preconceptions to ace the character
While playing the only woman member in the UK cabinet, Anderson said Thatcher, hailing from a working-class background, knew well that she'd have to internalize misogyny if she wanted to stay "patronized" by men. "One of the things that I have found in playing historical characters is to put aside all preconceptions and opinions, particularly in regards to Margaret Thatcher," the actor told reporters.
