“The Crown”
Farewell to Gillian Anderson as Thatcher?
Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher.
© imago images/ZUMA Press
“The Crown” is said to have to do without a role in season six: Gillian Anderson will apparently not return as Margaret Thatcher.
The sixth season “The Crown” should be poorer by a star in the cast: Gillian Anderson (54) will according to a report by the British “The Sun” not return to the Netflix series as ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013). Anderson, who played the role in season four and received a Golden Globe and an Emmy for it, is said to have canceled due to scheduling problems.
As The Sun reports, she was set to appear in an upcoming episode covering the golden wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and Prince Philip (1921-2021). The original script called for the story to have a 1997 dinner, which Thatcher also attended. Now another dinner should be shown in the picture to which Thatcher was not invited and Anderson’s role is therefore not required.
“Another blow to the producers”
“Gillian’s portrayal of Thatcher received critical acclaim around the world and was a great addition to ‘The Crown,'” a source is quoted in the report. The cancellation was “another blow to the producers in an already tough production”. Netflix and Anderson themselves have yet to comment.
However, fans of the series can look forward to other returnees: Elizabeth Debicki (32) will return to her role as Diana in the sixth season. Already in season five she was seen as the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry. Dominic West (53) will also return as Prince Charles. Imelda Staunton (67) will once again play Queen Elizabeth II, Lesley Manville (67) will once again play Princess Margaret and Jonathan Pryce (75) will return as Prince Philip in season six. Fans can also look forward to Olivia Williams (54) in the role of Camilla Parker Bowles, Khalid Abdalla (41) as Dodi Al-Fayed, Salim Daw (72) as Mohamed Al-Fayed and Bertie Carvel (45) as Prime Minister Tony Blair be happy.
The award-winning production has to take a lot of criticism again and again. A controversy erupted at the start of season five when prominent figures criticized the portrayals of the characters and demanded a hint to viewers that the series is fictional. In the sixth season, Princess Diana’s (1961-1997) fatal car accident becomes the subject. The first pictures from the set again caused critical voices who feared that the circumstances of death would be shown in too much detail.
A start date for the final episodes of the series has not yet been set. The sixth season may appear on Netflix in late 2023.