Gillian Anderson asked if she has 'spoken to Margaret Thatcher' about The Crown role

American actor Gillian Anderson has confirmed that she did not consult with the late Margaret Thatcher ahead of her performance in Netflix series The Crown, following a bizarre question posed to her at the 2021 Emmy Awards.

Anderson won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award for her portrayal of Thatcher – who died in 2013 – in the fourth season of the hit Netflix show.

Anderson was asked by a US reporter if she had “talked to [Thatcher] at all”, to which she replied she hadn’t and refrained from pointing out the obvious absurdity of the question.