Gillian Anderson Shoots Down Rumors She Walked Away From The Crown
Gillian Anderson fired back and denied rumors that she walked away from Netflix's The Crown.
Emmy award-winning actress Gillian Anderson has shot down recent reports that she declined to reprise her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown‘s upcoming sixth season. After a report from Metro UK stated the X-Files star forced the writers to rework their season based on her absence, Anderson responded bluntly via Twitter, calling the claim “Absolute bollocks.” Gillian Anderson portrayed the former head of state back in the show’s fourth season for six episodes, earning her an Emmy win and heaps of praise from fans worldwide.
While it remains unclear where the initial reports received this bogus information, the claim has now been marked on Twitter with a context warning, stating that the actress herself debunked the report. The publication suggests that Netflix executives had been courting Gillian Anderson to return to the role of the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in an effort to place Margaret Thatcher on-screen during the golden wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The scene has reportedly been changed due to Anderson’s absence, to a recreation of the dinner where the Queen gives the “strength and stay” speech honoring her husband and his contributions to their family dynasty.
Though Gillian Anderson emphatically denies the claim that she refused to appear in The Crown’s final season, it does appear that schedule conflicts prevented her from reprising her role. This makes sense, as Anderson currently has a number of active projects in the works, according to IMDb, including a voice role in an upcoming video game. Gillian Anderson is set to appear alongside Helen Mirren in the upcoming Marc Forster film White Bird: A Wonder Story, as well as a Netflix movie called Scoop, which focuses on the BBC’s bombshell interview with Prince Andrew regarding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Though Gillian Anderson was falsely maligned for her absence from The Crown, she has also been falsely praised for her appearance in the upcoming Community movie ordered by Peacock. After series lead Joel McHale accidentally tagged Gillian Anderson in a casting post instead of his co-star Gillian Jacobs, Anderson hilariously quipped that she was interested in appearing in the film. Due to the highly self-referential nature of the Dan Harmon NBC series, it wouldn’t be surprising if she actually showed up.
Without Gillian Anderson, it seems that The Crown will be ending its tenure without another Margaret Thatcher appearance. The sixth installment of The Crown is set to dive into the Queen’s reign throughout the early 21st century, including appearances from modern figures such as Prince William and Kate Middleton. William will be played by both Rufus Kampas and Ed McVey, to denote multiple points in his life, while Meg Bellamy has been cast to portray Kate Middleton.
Now that the dispute about her absence from the series has been settled, Gillian Anderson can return to her usual blend of jokes and pet photos on Twitter. The star has a number of big projects coming in the next year or so, giving her fans plenty to look out for!
