Academy Award-nominated actress Imelda Staunton makes a "convincing" Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, taking on the formidable role from two equally formidable actresses, an entertainment expert told Newsweek.
Staunton stars as the late queen, who died in September after 70 years on the British throne, in the latest season of the hit Netflix drama which began streaming on Wednesday.
The Crown debuted in 2016 and charts the life and reign of the queen from her accession in the 1950s with an expected finish in the early 2000s.
In order to avoid cosmetically aging one actress over a six-decade time period, the show's creator Peter Morgan advocated for a new cast to play the lead roles after two seasons.
The originator of the role, playing a young Elizabeth, was actress Claire Foy, who won a Golden Globe, Emmy and SAG Award for her interpretation.
Seasons two and three saw Oscar winner Olivia Colman take on the role of the queen in the 1970s and 1980s, and Staunton was chosen as the actress who would play the role to the series' conclusion.
"Claire Foy was truly exceptional, with a stand-out performance in the first two seasons but had to depart due to the nature of the hit Netflix series," entertainment expert and founder of MarkMeets, Mark Boardman, told Newsweek.
"However, Imelda Staunton's portrayal of the queen following Olivia Colman's two seasons playing a more dull character is a much welcome addition to the popular drama where the award winning 66 year-old actress is truly exceptional, with Imelda being the obvious choice for me, following Colman's departure."
"The role is so convincing from Imelda Staunton," he continued, "who I previously could only ever envisage as famously portraying Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series, but the actress has once again miraculously re-invented herself, and showed off her RADA [Royal Academy of Dramatic Art] skills, oozing confidence with both scripted lines and convincing facial expressions being delivered, as expected, mirroring the late Queen Elizabeth II."
On how viewers of the series will judge Staunton's performance as the queen, Boardman said he believed that the veteran actress has done enough in season five to keep up the high standards expected from The Crown's cast.
"Each scene shows Imelda as a strong and worthy successor to both Foy and Colman and now the mantle is in safe hands," he comments.
The challenges faced by Staunton are arguably greater than the challenges that faced Foy or Colman.
The 1990s, the decade that season five largely covers, was an uneasy one for the queen. Not only did the marriages of three of her children end in scandal and divorce but there was also the devastating fire at Windsor Castle in 1992, the publication of bombshell biographies and even more damaging television interviews from both Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
"These are tumultuous times within the family, and that's riches for us to play," Staunton told NBC's Today of the time period in the show. "So, these are the difficult years."
In parts, Boardman describes, the actress becomes a "carbon copy" of the late monarch: "From the walk and understanding of royal etiquette to the exquisite annunciation which is simply sublime."
Despite generally positive critical response to the acting talent in season five, The Crown came under fire in the U.K. ahead of its release over calls for a disclaimer to be added warning viewers that the show was not wholly factual.
Following an open letter of admonishment from Dame Judi Dench and open criticism from former British prime minister Sir John Major, the marketing material for the show included the line: "Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatization tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign."
Netflix did not however bow to pressure to display a disclaimer card before each episode. Of the controversy surrounding the new season, the stars have stuck by the line that the show is a drama and audiences are aware that it is not wholly factual.
Staunton told the BBC that despite this, it should be viewed as "still history", given that it is set 30 years in the past.
Season 5 of Netflix's The Crown is available to stream now.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
