NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Gillian Anderson on playing Margaret Thatcher

NZ Herald
24 Oct, 2020 09:32 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Gillian Anderson attends the World Premiere of season 2 of The Crown

Gillian Anderson attends the World Premiere of season 2 of The Crown

Don't expect Gillian Anderson, 52, to enter the political arena anytime soon.

She may fill the shoes of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, aka The Iron Lady, for Season 4 of The Crown , but she has no doubt what kind of prime minister she'd make.

"Oh, I'd be a horrible prime minister. I've got such a bad memory, I'd give everything to everybody, and I wouldn't be very diplomatic," she laughs. "In trying to save the world I'd make tons of mistakes in the process. I don't envy anybody that role, prime minister or president. It's a thankless, thankless role, and particularly in this day and age where the new leaders around the world have inherited such a mess."

Gillian Anderson as Thatcher in The Crown. Photo / Netflix
Gillian Anderson as Thatcher in The Crown. Photo / Netflix

Anderson is in London via Zoom, where she lives with her three children (from two previous relationships). It's late at night and her significant other, The Crown showrunner Peter Morgan, wanders by with a can of Coke for Anderson. "He's helping me stay awake," she smiles.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She says of her Thatcher transformation, who she plays from 1979 to 1990, "There were many discussions about wig colour, lots of trial and error with make-up, and a fat suit. It would take over an hour-and-a-half just for the hair and the glue that goes on around the wig. And then came the make-up.

"She also had a very particular way of walking," she says. "It was daunting. You hope you're on the right track, and I have to admit, it's a bit freaky. But it wasn't as if suddenly they do me up and it's, 'Oh, there she is!' in the mirror. It was a long process but I think in the end we ended up with something that feels Thatcheresque."

A polarising figure, Thatcher was the first female British Prime Minister – as despised as she was beloved. "She's an historic and iconic character and people love to hate her and hate to love her and the chances of getting it wrong were so great," Anderson says. Evidently though, the actor had nothing to fear as early reviews would attest she's done her best work.

In The Crown, we witness Thatcher's contentious relationship with Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman), which couldn't be more different from Anderson and Colman's relationship. "It was difficult to focus sometimes when Olivia and I were together in the same room, because we like to chat," she laughs. "Olivia is much better than I am at snapping into character after one's been chatting away."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Thatcher appointed only one female cabinet member during her 11 years in power. Given her position, and her feminist stance, she could have helped other women climb the political ladder of success.

"She was a self-made woman and it's hard to know why she wasn't more active in terms of electing or surrounding herself with women," Anderson says.

The trailer for the newest season of The Crown tells the story of Charles and Diana. Photo / Netflix
The trailer for the newest season of The Crown tells the story of Charles and Diana. Photo / Netflix

"I've got many women friends who are very powerful, and while I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as powerful, I have a very strong personality," she laughs.

Speaking of female leaders, Anderson says: "I met Julia Gillard. She was amazing to listen to and she was specifically talking about women leaders and the impact of women leaders. It was really interesting."

Anderson is twice divorced and has been in a relationship with Peter Morgan since 2016.

"It was Vanessa Kirby (who played Princess Margaret in The Crown, Season 1 and 2) who kept saying to me, 'You have to meet Pete.' I kept saying, 'No, he's too posh, he's too fancy, too smart and I'm a goofball. I'm an idiot,'" she laughs. "But actually, he's funny and quirky and goofy."

Best known for her role as Agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, which ran from 1993 to 2002, and then again for a six-episode season in 2017, Anderson has also appeared in The Fall, Hannibal, American Gods, and currently stars in the Netflix comedy, Sex Education.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Crown (@thecrownnetflix) on Oct 13, 2020 at 7:01am PDT

She famously had a difficult relationship with Hollywood and never enjoyed her celebrity. She grew up in both the United States as well as London, but she always felt more comfortable in England.

"Everything that we've seen about Hollywood in films portrayed over last few decades is somewhat based in truth. And at the various times of my life, I've really struggled with that aspect of it. And I certainly found coming to London quieter, more manageable, more grounded, more honest. And that was the kind of world that I wanted to be in."

Anderson was hounded by the tabloids during the height of The X-Files' popularity.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Back then, becoming so famous so young and seeing the worst part of what the industry can be like, I had a real struggle with it. I really hated it. It was like, 'Get me the f**k out of here!'" She left for London and remained there. "I had a complicated relationship with the business in LA and I didn't want it to be at the forefront of my every waking thought. People were dumbfounded that I left." She pauses. "But let's just clarify, as far as working in it, I haven't left Hollywood yet."

Sex Education is shot in England and Wales, and she took on the role in part so she'd be closer to her children.

"First and foremost, my kids matter to me. And usually, before I take on anything, I will be very transparent about what it means to hire me in terms of me needing to be available for my kids, and so that is very important."

Olivia Colman is Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix original The Crown. Photo / Netlifx
Olivia Colman is Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix original The Crown. Photo / Netlifx

Anderson has a daughter, Piper, 26, from her first marriage to X-Files assistant art director, Clyde Klotz. She also has two sons: Oscar, 13, and Felix, 12 from her relationship with businessman Mark Griffiths.

"As far as my career, I feel like I'm just getting started. It doesn't feel like I'm at the end of something at all. I feel really fulfilled with the work I've been doing lately, with Sex Ed, and The Crown."

She is enjoying the hilarity and outrageousness of Sex Education.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's been a godsend," she says. "So, I'm afraid, I'm still going to be acting for a little while yet."

Catch season 4 of The Crown on Netflix in Novemeber

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Sudden exit: Radio host leaves mid-show due to family loss

Entertainment

'Rare gem': NZ film set for US debut after local success

Entertainment

Celebrity journalist opens up about mental health struggles in 'warts and all' book


Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Sudden exit: Radio host leaves mid-show due to family loss
Entertainment

Sudden exit: Radio host leaves mid-show due to family loss

Jade Robran left her show mid-air after receiving some tragic family news.

16 Jul 04:18 AM
'Rare gem': NZ film set for US debut after local success
Entertainment

'Rare gem': NZ film set for US debut after local success

16 Jul 01:00 AM
Celebrity journalist opens up about mental health struggles in 'warts and all' book
Entertainment

Celebrity journalist opens up about mental health struggles in 'warts and all' book

15 Jul 11:42 PM


Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

01 Jul 04:58 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP