Gillian Anderson Joins ‘The Crown’ as Margaret Thatcher
Season three of “The Crown” has yet to premiere, but we have some casting news for season four nevertheless: Gillian Anderson will play Margaret Thatcher on the regal Netflix drama. England’s first female Prime Minister was last seen onscreen when Meryl Streep played her in “The Iron Lady,” winning an Academy Award for her efforts; coincidentally, Olivia Colman — who’s taking over for Claire Foy as the Queen herself in the next two seasons — played her daughter in that film.
Other new additions to the cast include Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip (replacing Matt Smith as the timeline moves forward), Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret (previously played by Vanessa Kirby), and Ben Daniels as Antony Armstrong-Jones. The upcoming batch of episodes is set to begin in 1963 and will feature everything from Beatlemania to England winning the World Cup in 1966, a feat it came close to replicating last year in Russia before being defeated by Croatia in the semifinals.
Thatcher served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, making her Britain’s longest-serving PM of the 20th century. She’s also one of the most polarizing, which should give Anderson much to work with. Best known for her leading role on “The X-Files,” the actress has also received acclaim for her roles in “Hannibal” and “The Fall,” among many others. She most recently appeared in “Sex Education,” which premiered on Netflix last week.
