Published 17:29 IST, November 22nd 2019
The Crown's Helena Bonham Carter was terrified to take up such a celebrated role
The Crown's third season was released recently. Actors Helena Bonham Carter and Tobias Menzies shared their thoughts and preparations for their respective roles
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The new season of the Netflix show, The Crown, was recently released and has been streaming on the OTT site. The first two seasons had Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, Matt Smith as Prince Philip, and Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret. For the third season, with a leap, Olivia Coleman, Tobias Menzies, and Helena Bonham Carter have taken up the respective roles of the royals.
Helena and Tobias' preparation for the role:
Helena Bonham Carter, in an interview with a leading news portal, talked about how she, Olivia, and Tobias were terrified to take the roles that were already celebrated and loved. These characters are played by actors who are loved. She talked about how people have given warmth to both Claire Foy and Vanessa, so it was scary to follow their footsteps.
Helena also shared her rituals before she takes on a historical character. She shared that she visits her aunt who is a graphologist. She had Margaret's handwriting analyzed by her. She also visits a friend who is an astrologer, helping her with the crucial elements of Margaret's character. Carter also approached a psychic before accepting the role. Carter's perfectionist side can be understood when she even bought the perfume that Princess Margaret used to wear.
Season 3 will also see the relationship between the Queen and Princess Margaret becoming warmer and stronger. Bonham Carter shared that they had a close, loving, and respectful relationship. This is what Olivia Coleman and Helena had tried their best to portray in the new season.
Tobias Menzies, who is playing the role of Prince Philip Mountbatten, shared that he first tried to copy the mannerisms and way of speaking of the Royal. He next went into the internal mechanisms of what makes to be Philip. Tobias shared that he saw many audio clips and videos to try and get his actions. Tobias aimed to be close but natural with his acting. Tobias shared his observations regarding Philip's ways and mannerisms.
Tobias talked about how the Royal couple seems to be quite the opposite of each other. While the Queen has a cool temperament, the Prince takes on a little hot side of the relationship. The first two seasons of the show also had instances about their marriage and the problems that they faced. Menzies talked about how this season will portray a relatively stable relationship between Philip and Elizabeth.
13:48 IST, November 22nd 2019