Gillian Anderson has earned praise from critics and fans for her portrayal of former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Netflix's The Crown.
Her fashion sense on the show recently stoked the imagination of one social media user, who posted a meme on Monday of an image of Anderson's Thatcher juxtaposed with SpongeBob SquarePants. The picture quickly found popularity online, and Anderson herself has even endorsed the comparison.
"LOVE!" Anderson wrote in a post that shared the meme. The actress also changed her profile photo on Twitter to the image of SpongeBob.
LOVE! https://t.co/qedIlnYEXL
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) October 10, 2022
The image of SpongeBob shows the animated character from the hit Nickelodeon show dressed in attire similar to what Anderson is wearing in an image from The Crown. According to a SpongeBob fan site, the picture of the character dates back to the show's first season, in 1999. The episode—titled Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy—had SpongeBob disguising himself as an old woman.
Anderson joined The Crown for Season 4, and she went on to win an Emmy in 2021 for her portrayal of Thatcher. (She won an Emmy 24 years earlier for playing agent Dana Scully on the sci-fi series The X-Files.) Following Queen Elizabeth II's death last month, production of The Crown took a break out of respect for the late monarch. Netflix later announced that Season 5 will premiere November 9.
SpongeBob, meanwhile, continues to be a popular presence on Nickelodeon, and the show was renewed for a 14th season in March. The franchise has branched out into feature films, comic books and theme park rides.
Anderson's appreciation of the meme garnered praise from other Twitter users.
"Always slaying," wrote one user in the comments section for Anderson's SpongeBob post.
"Scully can do no wrong," wrote another person, referencing her famous character on The X-Files.
Another person commented, "u are the coolest person ever it's CONFIRMED."
One Twitter user was surprised Anderson found the pic, writing: "GIRL HOW DID THIS END UP IN YOUR RADAR."
The meme also helped a fan discover Anderson's Twitter account, which the person naturally noted by sharing an image of a joyous SpongeBob.
THE GILLIAN ANDERSON!
— B48+3 (@BriceSlayed) October 10, 2022
ON TWITTER!?
My day has been blessed pic.twitter.com/i8YXfozkqi
The Twitter user who created the SpongeBob meme has posted several times since Anderson publicly supported her creation.
"WHAT HAVE WE DONE," wrote the user, who uses only the name "Anne" on the platform and frequently posts content related to Anderson.
Newsweek reached out to Anderson, Nickelodeon and "Anne" for comment.
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