With all of the furor that recently erupted over Netflix’s gender pay controversy on The Crown, producers must be thrilled to return to friendlier territory. That is, season three is well underway in terms of promotion, and the streaming service has released this first look at Helena Bonham Carter in character as Princess Margaret. Naturally, she’s sporting her real-life counterpart’s omnipresent cigarette in hand, and the photo is a sufficient tease for fans of the show.
Back when Carter was announced while the show switched up its actors according to plan, she expressed both excitement and apprehension about replacing actress Vanessa Kirby in a statement:
“I’m not sure which I’m more terrified about – doing justice to the real Princess Margaret or following in the shoes of Vanessa Kirby’s Princess Margaret. The only thing I can guarantee is that I’ll be shorter [than Vanessa].”
Indeed, anticipation for Carter in the role follows Kirby’s Emmy nomination for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. No pressure there! For those who missed the first two seasons of the show, here’s a photo of Kirby in character.
Other lead rotations for The Crown include Olivia Colman replacing Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and Tobias Menzies stepping in for Matt Smith as the new Prince Phillip. Netflix also released a photo of Ben Daniels, who’s taking over for Matthew Goode as Margaret’s husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon.
