11 Royal Teases for ‘The Crown’ Season 4

This tidbit came from Helena Bonham Carter. “I remember after the second read through, during — I don’t know if I told you — Peter said ‘God, you’re so much better. You’re all so much better this season,'” Carter recalled.

Season 4 marked the second time Colman, Carter, and Menzies portrayed their characters Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, and Prince Phillip. Carter knows exactly where Morgan’s praise came from. “We’ve had time to sit with it and also we’d stopping thinking about it,” Carter said. “The second time around you’ve lived with them and also you trust the other people. You know they’re not going to make you look terrible.”

This season Queen Elizabeth’s struggles have less to do with her own marriage and relationships and more to do with managing her children. “Elizabeth and Phillip, their troubles have sort of died down and now they’re trying to help their adult children go through their own, as all parents go through,” Colman explained.

To tap into this particular brand of anxiety, the actor drew upon her experience as a mother. “It was a lot of soul-searching and talking about it and what did we do? And it’s interesting because we all know how everyone is now,” Colman said.

Season 4 chronicles the Royal Family’s reaction to Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer’s marriage. While the rest of the family encourages the swift union of these two, Princess Margaret is a bit more reserved and far more critical of the family’s involvement in their romance. Carter recalls that was her idea.

“I said, ‘I’m not going to be encouraging an interference with a marriage.’ When I was Vanessa Kirby, back in Season 1, my whole life was destroyed originally by my sister interfering with a marriage. So that was taken up,” Carter said. “I think that happened in real life, there was a sympathy for Diana. She saw Diana being picked up by the press as she was. She was taken as a sort of fashion template, but she knew that this was going to be a honeymoon and that being heralded by the press can quickly turn. It’s a complicated thing, marriage into the royal family. It isn’t just for emotion, it’s a job. It’s a duty. And I think she can see that Diana is too young.”

One of the breakouts performances this season has to do with a very controversial historical figure. Gillian Anderson plays Margaret Thatcher complete with the Iron Lady’s immobile hair, memorable voice, and odd mannerisms.

“It was quite scary. So much of our job is influenced by incredible hair and makeup teams and wardrobe,” Colman said of working with Anderson’s Thatcher. “With Margaret they really outdid themselves. When she was sitting there, and especially when the light was behind her a bit, oohh. She was there. And Gillian’s voice and her walk, it was very funny. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to keep a straight face because it was uncanny. It was like having a ghost around.”

At one point Prince Phillip likens Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher to two bears who can’t live in the same den. But according to Tobias Menzies there was a far more vulgar addition to that observation that was later removed. At one point Menzies’ Prince Phillip declared that “two menopausal woman can’t be running the country.”

Colman has been delightfully outspoke about how much she hates her walk. After The Crown Season 3, the actor said that she walked like a farmer. In case you’re wondering, Colman is still self-conscious about her strut. “If it’s quite close up it’s all right. You can’t see what my bottom half is doing. But any shot of me from a distance,” Colman trialed off before laughing.

Though this is more of Diana and Thatcher’s season, Queen Elizabeth does have a big moment. Season 4 chronicles the break in of Michael Fagan, an intruder who entered Queen Elizabeth’s bedroom in Buckingham Palace in 1982. “That was one of my favorite ones to film because it felt like sort of a little play,” Colman revealed. “I really like playing the character that listened to him. Apparently she never actually told anyone what happened, and he told various versions of what happened. … I think that shows so much integrity. It was his private audience.”

If you’re wondering why you’re not seeing as much of Helena Bonham Carter, that was narratively intentional. “I’m not featured that much in Season 4, and that’s kind of Margaret’s part in real life. As she got older she became more and more marginalized within the family and felt so,” Carter explained. “There’s a sort of ironic thing that every child that her sister has means the lower she goes in the pecking order. She becomes more and more irrelevant.”

Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana, was the first to reveal this tidbit. According to Corrin, movement choreographer Polly Bennett likened Princess Diana to a cat. Carter, on the other hand, got a much more interesting animal.

“I was a bird of prey,” Carter revealed. “She interpreted Margaret as somebody who’s fantastically watchful because one way of combatting being looked at is to watch back. Just moving your head back a bit meant that you had a wider point of view.”

During Olivia Colman’s last day of filming she had to perform one of the Queen’s rare enraged scenes. But the actor wasn’t worried about that challenge. Instead she was more concerned with not throwing up.

According to Colman there were buckets placed all over the set in case she felt too ill. “I had to watch it back the other day, and I know that I didn’t do a very good job of it. I just know I’m trying not to be sick,” Colman said. “So that’s fun to look out for.”

By virtue of its hops throughout history, The Crown has an unusual format. Every two seasons its leads are replaced by a new cast of actors. Though we don’t know everyone who will be starring in The Crown Season 5, we do know that Queen Elizabeth II will be taken over by Imelda Staunton and Princess Margaret will be played by Lesley Manville.

“I’m very sad that it’s over but it’s time she was played by somebody else,” Carter said about Princess Margaret. “There comes a point when I feel like I wasn’t concentrating as much as I should towards the end. Just the sheer dent of doing it for so long. She’s just a great gift of a part.”

Despite her sorrow over the role ending, Carter is excited for Manville to take over. “Vanessa [Kirby] was so generous and she told me all sorts of things. I’ll wait for Lesley’s call. She may not be remotely interested in what I have to say,” Carter said. “But I want to hand her my cigarette holder and say ‘Good luck with this.’ It’ll be nice. I wouldn’t mind having a tea with Vanessa and Lesley if she’s interested.”

Colman’s words of wisdom to Imelda Staunton were a bit more frank. “Oh god, if she calls me I’ll be so excited,” Colman gushed. “Good luck. The wig’s itchy. Here’s how you play Fives. Work on your walk. She’s already got a much better walk than me.”

All episodes of The Crown Season 4 premiere on Netflix Sunday, November 15 at 3/2c a.m.

Watch The Crown on Netflix