margaret thatcher gillian anderson© Photo: Netflix

The Crown star looks unrecognisable in new role - and fans can't take it

Fans have gone wild!

TV and film writer
October 19, 2021

The Crown’s Gillian Anderson shared a first look at her new role of Catherine the Great’s mother, Joanna, in season two of The Great - and fans are going crazy for it!

MORE: Bridgerton star teams up with Death in Paradise actor for exciting new project - details

Taking to Twitter, Gillian shared an image of herself in character, wearing a flamboyant gown and a large wig. She captioned the photo: "Did someone say mother?"

WATCH: Have you seen the first series of The Great

Fans have been sharing their excitement in the comments, and their responses have been hilarious. One fan wrote: "Gillian please some of us are weak," while another added: "OMG I CAN HARDLY WAIT!"

One phrase, in particular, has been flooding the comments section and has even caught the attention of Gillian herself. Fans are writing: "mommy? sorry, mommy? sorry, mommy??", echoing a current TikTok trend which involves people writing this comment under videos of attractive women.

MORE: The Crown sweeps Emmy awards as Olivia Colman and Gillian Anderson win

MORE: Succession season three Insider: breaking down new opening credits, Kendall Roy 3.0 and MORE

Gillian quickly responded to one of the many comments, replying, "Yes?", which sent fans into an even bigger frenzy. One fan wrote: "You are literally the best I’m crying," while another said: "GILLIAN ARE YOU JOKING ME RN I CAN’T."

© Photo: Instagram

Gillian sent fans into a frenzy with this first look photo

The satirical comedy-drama, loosely based on Catherine the Great’s rise to power, follows Catherine (played by Elle Fanning) in her youth and her marriage to depraved husband Emperor Peter III (played by Nicholas Hoult).

MORE: Downton Abbey's Matthew Goode to star in Christmas blockbuster - and it sounds amazing

The second season of the popular Hulu show will see Catherine finally take her throne and focus on her attempts to bring the Age of Enlightenment to Russia.  She will battle her court, her team and her mother in a bid to liberate her country.

© Photo: Instagram

Filming for season two wrapped earlier this year

The upcoming season wrapped in July this year, and Elle took to Instagram to celebrate the end of filming. Sharing an image of herself and Nicholas in costume as Catherine and Peter, Elle wrote: "Season two of The Great has officially wrapped. Wow. What a tremendous feat filming in a global pandemic. I am eternally grateful for the crew that kept us all safe and going.

"This season is going to be WILLLLDDDD! I love them with all my heart. Cannot wait for you to see what we have cooked up!"

Season two of The Great will premiere on November 19 on Hulu.

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more