Season 4 of The Crown will head into the 1980s and give viewers their first glimpse of Princess Diana and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Diana will be played by relative newcomer Emma Corrin, 24, while Thatcher will be portrayed by X-Files star Gillian Anderson.
The new season, which begins streaming on November 15, promises an inside look at the private lives of the "world's most photographed woman" and the controversial prime minister. Anderson admits that she had to put her own personal feelings aside before playing the Iron Lady.
Corrin, on the other hand, felt intimidated stepping into the role of one of the most beloved members of the royal family. “Diana was "this incredible public figure, the most generous humanitarian. I feel like she had this aura of kindness and also being quite a game-changer (for the royals) in the sense that she was 'one of the people,'" she said.
Although Diana died tragically in a car crash in Paris in 1997 when Corrin was just a toddler, the actress was well aware of her legacy. In the new season of The Crown, we see a teenage Diana courted by a much older Prince Charles, played again by Josh O'Connor, who is only six years older than Corrin.
The series will deal with Diana’s battle with bulimia, which she opened up about later in life, as well as, her struggle to fit into the demands of royal life. Corrin says the role made her identify with the difficulties encountered by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have been continually scrutinized by the press.
As for Thatcher, The Crown will examine many unknown aspects of her private life, such as the fact that she was the mother of twins or that she continued to iron her husband’s shirts as prime minister. Although Anderson recognizes that Thatcher was not exactly a sympathetic character, she tried to not let her personal feelings affect her portrayal.
"It's none of my business how the audience reacts. ... I have a feeling that the response that the audience ends up having will be as divided as the response to her in (real life). It'll keep people talking around the (water cooler) – if we're ever allowed to go back to work and stand around the water cooler," Anderson said.
Source: USA Today
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