Gillian Anderson will play Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Crown’ and people are conflicted

Gillian Anderson fans are conflicted about her casting as Margaret Thatcher in season four of The Crown.

The actress, who famously played Agent Dana Scully in The X Files, said she is excited to have the opportunity to play “such a complicated and controversial woman” and described Thatcher as an “icon”.

That last part was particularly problematic for some fans.

When asked about the role by the Guardian, Anderson added:

I haven’t quite figured out how to talk about her yet.

To a certain degree, it’s very helpful for an actor, at least in my experience, to slightly fall in love with the character you’re playing, regardless of what your opinion might be of them, if it’s a historical character, particularly. So I have.

For context, Anderson has a large following in the LGBT+ community and has previously spoken about being in same-sex relationships.

However, Thatcher introduced Section 28 – a since-removed clause in the Local Government Act 1988 that banned local authorities from intentionally “promoting homosexuality”.

Some of Anderson’s fans understandably didn’t know how to feel about the actress saying she was excited to “fall in love” with Thatcher…

Others simply objected to the idea of someone hot playing the controversial former Conservative prime minister.

However, Anderson’s decision had some supporters who defended her right to play a divisive historical figure.

Regardless of your thoughts on Thatcher, Anderson is set to join a stellar cast for the show’s fourth season – alongside Olivia Colman (as Queen Elizabeth II) and Helena Bonham Carter (as Princess Margaret).

HT: Twitter Moments