Gillian Anderson allegedly’refused’ to reprise her role as Margaret Thatcher for the sixth and final season, forcing the producers of The Crown to alter their scripts.
The most recent installment of the hit period drama was set in the 1990s, and it covered the Queen’s ‘annus horribilis’ in 1992, as well as the fire that extensively damaged Windsor Castle, as well as the consequences from Princess Diana and King Charles’ marriage.
In addition, Elizabeth Debicki portrayed Princess Diana at difficult times in her life, such as the 1995 interview with Martin Bashir and her divorce, while Imelda Staunton replaced Olivia Coleman as the late Queen.
Season six of the blockbuster period drama is expected to carry up from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, with allegations surrounding Princess Diana’s murder in 1997, Tony Blair’s years in office, and his professional relationship with the Queen.
Gillian played the previous Prime Minister in season four of The Crown, for which she earned an Emmy for best supporting actress.
However, due to’scheduling concerns,’ she will not be returning for the part, according to sources.
A source said: ‘Gillian’s portrayal of Thatcher was met with global critical acclaim and she was a huge asset to The Crown.
‘It had been hoped she would be able to make an appearance in scenes around the golden wedding but sadly that has not been the case due to scheduling issues.’
The insider added to The Sun that the decision was ‘another blow for producers’ and meant altering scripts, with claims that the original plan was for Gillian’s Thatcher to attend a dinner with the Queen and Prince Philip, and instead, the publication reports that the action will shift to another dinner, where the Iron Lady was not present.
However, when approached for comment, a Netflix spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘Gillian Anderson was never intended to return as Margaret Thatcher’.
Gillian has previously defended The Crown in the face of outrage, claiming that the writers employed ‘kindness and restraint’ in their portrayal of the monarchy.
‘It’s a drama. There’s a lot of researchers involved and a lot of people checking and double-checking and triple-checking,’ she said.
‘There’s a lot that has not been written about that could be written about.
‘And if you knew the difference in those, you’d see there is a great deal of kindness and restraint.’
She added to Total Film that ‘at the end of the day,’ they had been ‘incredibly compassionate and well-rounded takes on human beings’.
‘What you’re left with is properly, maturely drawn, complex characters.’
Since its debut in 2016, the Netflix drama has chronicled the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, with the sixth and final season planned to reenact historical events such as Princess Diana’s death.
According to recent sources, the new series will feature Prince Harry’s iconic Nazi uniform issue, while the last installment featured ‘tampon-gate’ and Fergie’s infamous ‘toe-sucking’ photograph.
The Crown is available to watch on Netflix.
Source My Celebrity Life.
