I’d have preferred her not to be playing another queen before,” says
Morgan. “But it’s so different—such a different tone.”
The notable historical subjects covered in season 3 of The Crown
include the 1964 discovery that the Queen’s art adviser Anthony Blunt
was a Soviet spy, and Labour leader Harold Wilson’s rise to prime
minister that same year. The show will also detail the 1966 Aberfan
disaster, when an avalanche of coal waste buried a school in Wales.
“I had never heard of it, which breaks my heart slightly,” Colman says
of the event, which claimed the lives of 144 people, mostly children.
As for the intra-family issues explored, Morgan says the show will
deal less than previous seasons have with the marriage of Elizabeth
and Philip —which he believes became more settled in the ’60s after
the early years of turmoil. Instead, the upcoming episodes will detail
the breakdown of the union between Margaret and her photographer
husband, Lord “Tony” Snowdon (Ben Daniels). “They’re such extraor-
dinary people,” says Daniels, “Completely addicted to each other. Even
right up until the minute they were getting divorced, they still had a
really strong physical relationship. People often said that it was like
foreplay for them, having a big row. They would have these huge rows
and then amazing sex.” Hearing this, Bonham Carter can’t resist
encouraging EW readers to “try it at home!”
Season 3 also introduces adult versions of the Queen’s two eldest
children, Charles (Josh O’Connor) and Anne (Erin Doherty). The
relatively unknown O’Connor admits that one of the toughest chal-
lenges on set has been keeping his cool while acting with some of
Britain’s most famous faces. “I’m acting, acting, acting, and then I’m
like, ‘I’m acting with Olivia Colman!’ ” he says. “It’s really weird.”
The season examines Charles’ youthful relationship with his future
second wife, Camilla (Emerald Fennell), which began in the early
’70s, years before he met and married Diana. “People always
assume Charles cheated on Diana with Camilla,” says Morgan. “It’s
absolutely the wrong way round. He was deeply in love with Camilla
and forced to marry Diana.”
The Crown’s Diana is being played by Emma Corrin, but the
actress will not appear on the show until season 4. By the time
that season premieres, likely in 2020, Morgan will know if viewers
have accepted the series’ new cast—although he doesn’t seem too
worried on that score. “It’s a bit like changing contact lenses,” he
says. “I think it takes you about five minutes to get used to it.”
Assuming the show does continue to reign over viewers, Morgan
claims he hasn’t even begun to think of who might replace the cur-
rent cast to portray the characters in seasons 5 and 6. The obvious
candidate to play the Queen is, of course, Mirren, who already almost
has an EGOT for her performances as Elizabeth alone. While the
showrunner has not discussed the subject with the actress, he knows
that Mirren is a fan. “She loves the show,” he says. “She thought there
was nothing left to say, and I think she’s really surprised.”
Back at Belvoir Castle, the woman currently playing Queen
Elizabeth II is, all joking aside, surprisingly calm about stepping
into Foy’s shoes. “It’s the same as any classical play you do—
everyone will have already played that part before,” she says. But?
“The first week, I did feel myself trying to do Claire impressions.
‘What would she have done?’ ”
Well, surely it makes sense for Colman’s performance in early
scenes to mimic that of Foy, given season 3 basically picks up
where season 2 left off.
“Yes, actually. Maybe it was a stroke of genius that I was doing
that,” she says, letting out a laugh Oscars viewers may fondly
recall. “That’s what it was! Yes, that was preplanned!”
Anything you say, Your Majesty. �
ESSENTIAL
“IT’S BEEN NUTS, HASN’T IT?” COLMAN
SAYS OF HER ACCOLADES-LADEN 2019.
“I CAN’T REALLY REGISTER IT ALL.”
WELL, YOUR HIGHNESS, LET US HELP
YOU BY LOOKING BACK EVEN FURTHER
OVER YOUR DIVERSE CAREER.
PAGE Ñ 37
SEPTEMBER 2019
FLEABAG
2016 — 2019
“I always wanted to
play a baddie,” Colman
says of being cast in
an adversarial role on
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s
Amazon Prime Video
dramedy, for which
Colman is currently
nominated for an Emmy.
“I sort of don’t think
I deserve it,” she says
of the nod. “Maybe it’s
someone else’s turn.”
THE FAVOURITE
2018
“It’s all a bit of a blur,”
Colman says of
winning the Oscar for
playing Queen Anne.
“Wearing a posh, lovely
frock, and a big loud
noise, and then you get
pushed into a room with
lots of people asking
questions. Meanwhile,
Ed, my husband, and our
mates are all drinking.
[Laughs] So, it was
probably much more
fun for them.”
PEEP SHOW
2003 — 2015
Colman’ s big break
came with her role on
this British apartment-
sharing comedy. The
series became a cult
hit as her character,
Sophie, embarked
on a disastrous
relationship with
David Mitchell’s Mark.
BROADCHURCH
2013 — 2017
The actress won her
third BAFTA for starring
as a detective on this
riveting crime drama,
which also starred Doc-
tor Who's David Tennant.
OLIVIA
PEEP SHOW
: ANGUS YOUNG/©CHANNEL FOUR/EVERETT COLLECTION;
BROADCHURCH
: COLIN HUTTON/BBC AMERICA;
THE FAVOURITE
: ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA/FOCUS FEATURES;
FLEABAG
: AMAZON
