Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter.Photo: Isabel Infantes/PA Images/Getty
01of 10Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.Julian Broad for EWHelena Bonham CarterisThe Crown‘snewPrincess Margaret— and she’s had some real-life run-ins with the royal.Speaking toEWduring aphoto shootfor the magazine’s September cover, the actress revealed that her uncle was “actually very close” to the Queen’s younger (and often eccentric) sister.“She was pretty scary,” the actress recalled. “At one point, she met me at Windsor Castle and she said, ‘You are getting better, aren’t you?’ " (She “presumes” Princess Margaret’s comment referred to her acting.)
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Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.Julian Broad for EW
Helena Bonham CarterisThe Crown‘snewPrincess Margaret— and she’s had some real-life run-ins with the royal.
Speaking toEWduring aphoto shootfor the magazine’s September cover, the actress revealed that her uncle was “actually very close” to the Queen’s younger (and often eccentric) sister.
“She was pretty scary,” the actress recalled. “At one point, she met me at Windsor Castle and she said, ‘You are getting better, aren’t you?’ " (She “presumes” Princess Margaret’s comment referred to her acting.)
02of 10Olivia Colman in The Crown.Olivia Colman is taking over the role ofQueen Elizabeth— which means not just filling the shoes of the world’s longest-reigning monarch, but also Claire Foy, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of the Queen in the first two seasons.“It’s horrendous,” Colman toldEW.“Everyone loves Claire Foy, so I have got the worst job in the world at the moment. You’re saying all the worst things, thanks!”
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Olivia Colman in The Crown.
Olivia Colman is taking over the role ofQueen Elizabeth— which means not just filling the shoes of the world’s longest-reigning monarch, but also Claire Foy, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of the Queen in the first two seasons.
“It’s horrendous,” Colman toldEW.“Everyone loves Claire Foy, so I have got the worst job in the world at the moment. You’re saying all the worst things, thanks!”
03of 10Ben Daniels and Helena Bonham Carter.Julian Broad for EWBonham Carter said shecontacted Princess Margaret through a psychic mediumto get her blessing for the role.“She said, apparently, she was glad it was me,” Bonham Carter said at the Cheltenham literature festival, according toThe Guardian. “My main thing when you play someone who is real, you kind of want their blessing because you have a responsibility.““So I asked her: ‘Are you okay with me playing you?’ and she said: ‘You’re better than the other actress’…that they were thinking of. They will not admit who it was. It was me and somebody else,” the star continued. “That made me think maybe she is here, because that is a classic Margaret thing to say. She was really good at complimenting you and putting you down at the same time.”
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Ben Daniels and Helena Bonham Carter.Julian Broad for EW
Bonham Carter said shecontacted Princess Margaret through a psychic mediumto get her blessing for the role.
“She said, apparently, she was glad it was me,” Bonham Carter said at the Cheltenham literature festival, according toThe Guardian. “My main thing when you play someone who is real, you kind of want their blessing because you have a responsibility.”
“So I asked her: ‘Are you okay with me playing you?’ and she said: ‘You’re better than the other actress’…that they were thinking of. They will not admit who it was. It was me and somebody else,” the star continued. “That made me think maybe she is here, because that is a classic Margaret thing to say. She was really good at complimenting you and putting you down at the same time.”
04of 10Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret and Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth.Julian Broad for EWPrincess Margaret did have some advice for playing her, according to Bonham Carter.“Then she said: ‘But you’re going to have to brush up and be more groomed and neater.’ Then she said: ‘Get the smoking right. I smoked in a very particular way. Remember that — this is a big note — the cigarette holder was as much a weapon for expression as it was for smoking.’ "
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Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret and Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth.Julian Broad for EW
Princess Margaret did have some advice for playing her, according to Bonham Carter.
“Then she said: ‘But you’re going to have to brush up and be more groomed and neater.’ Then she said: ‘Get the smoking right. I smoked in a very particular way. Remember that — this is a big note — the cigarette holder was as much a weapon for expression as it was for smoking.’ "
05of 10Sophie Mutevelian/NetflixColman says she was “incredibly uncool” about accepting the role ofQueen Elizabeth.“The producers went, ‘So…’ [I said,] ‘Yes! Yes! I’m really excited! Thank you very much!’ I loved the first two seasons,” she explained.
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Sophie Mutevelian/Netflix
Colman says she was “incredibly uncool” about accepting the role ofQueen Elizabeth.
“The producers went, ‘So…’ [I said,] ‘Yes! Yes! I’m really excited! Thank you very much!’ I loved the first two seasons,” she explained.
06of 10NetflixColman metPrince Williamat a recent Buckingham Palace reception andasked if he watched the show— in a chat she jokingly admitted “didn’t go very well."“He asked what I was doing at the moment before he quickly added, ‘Actually, I know what you’re doing,’ ” Colman revealed onThe Graham Norton Show.“I was so excited and asked, ‘Have you watched it?’ ” she continued. “His answer was a firm, ‘No.’ But he was very charming and very lovely.”
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Netflix
Colman metPrince Williamat a recent Buckingham Palace reception andasked if he watched the show— in a chat she jokingly admitted “didn’t go very well.”
“He asked what I was doing at the moment before he quickly added, ‘Actually, I know what you’re doing,’ ” Colman revealed onThe Graham Norton Show.
“I was so excited and asked, ‘Have you watched it?’ ” she continued. “His answer was a firm, ‘No.’ But he was very charming and very lovely.”
07of 10NetflixOff-screen, 53-year-old Bonham Carter is dating 32-year-old writer Rye Dag Holmboe — mirroring Princess Margaret’s relationship age gap with Roddy Llewellyn, a gardener-turned-unsuccessful pop star 17 years her junior.Speaking toThe Times, the Oscar nominee said that her real-life romancedidn’t give her any insight to playing Margaret.“It’s strange, though,” Bonham Carter said. “It was odd timing that I seem to have a similar age gap as her, but I think it would have happened whether I was playing her or not.”
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Off-screen, 53-year-old Bonham Carter is dating 32-year-old writer Rye Dag Holmboe — mirroring Princess Margaret’s relationship age gap with Roddy Llewellyn, a gardener-turned-unsuccessful pop star 17 years her junior.
Speaking toThe Times, the Oscar nominee said that her real-life romancedidn’t give her any insight to playing Margaret.
“It’s strange, though,” Bonham Carter said. “It was odd timing that I seem to have a similar age gap as her, but I think it would have happened whether I was playing her or not.”
08of 10Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth.Julian Broad for EWColman said she “did nothing” to prep for her royal role.“Though I did have a movement coach,” she said. “But still I walked like me, or rather like a farmer!”
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Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth.Julian Broad for EW
Colman said she “did nothing” to prep for her royal role.
“Though I did have a movement coach,” she said. “But still I walked like me, or rather like a farmer!”
09of 10Julian Broad for EWThe on-screen sisters shared the secret to perfecting the royal wave in an interview withemmymagazine.“We call it ‘lightbulb,’ ” Bonham Carter said. “It’s like polishing a very non-round lightbulb."“Actually, I think a lot of it is done so it looks right in a still photograph,” Colman added while doing the motion. “They have to put on a persona at all times.”
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Julian Broad for EW
The on-screen sisters shared the secret to perfecting the royal wave in an interview withemmymagazine.
“We call it ‘lightbulb,’ ” Bonham Carter said. “It’s like polishing a very non-round lightbulb.”
“Actually, I think a lot of it is done so it looks right in a still photograph,” Colman added while doing the motion. “They have to put on a persona at all times.”
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While the 93-year-old monarch is known for staying steadfast, Colman admitted to letting loose on set — including sending her husband a photo of a prop postage stamp featuring her visage as the Queen.
source: people.com
