Are we allowed to like Margaret Thatcher? If you ask some fans of The Crown, the answer may be that she’s not their cup of tea, and she shouldn’t be anyone else’s, either.
Netflix stirred up some controversy over the weekend when its popular show The Crown announced it had slated Gillian Anderson to play Margaret Thatcher. Known for The X Files and, recently, Netflix’s Sex Education, Anderson said she is excited to play the “complicated and controversial” figure in the show’s fourth season. In a statement, she said:
But some fans weren’t so happy to hear Anderson speak at all positively of Thatcher. One fan of Anderson protested her use of “icon,” while others claimed Thatcher “totally destroyed” or “caused untold and irreparable damage” to the United Kingdom.
Oddly enough, Anderson herself might agree with them. She is no fan of Thatcher, and she took pains during an interview with the Guardian to note that the Iron Lady’s legacy may be understandable, but perhaps not “forgivable”:
She also said, however, that she has fallen a little bit in love with the first female British prime minister: “To a certain degree, it’s very helpful for an actor, at least in my experience, to slightly fall in love with the character you’re playing, regardless of what your opinion might be of them, if it’s a historical character, particularly. So I have.”
Despite what many fans think, Anderson’s affinity for Thatcher is understandable. She earned her nickname, the Iron Lady, for her unwavering perseverance. Instrumental in curbing the rise of communism and promoting deregulation while opposing unions, Thatcher was both influential and immensely controversial. In The Crown, some fans hope to hear Anderson utter Thatcher’s wry feminist quote: “In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.”
Thatcher has her detractors. One of the complaints that opponents lodge against her nowadays is over her support for Section 28 legislation, which banned the “promotion” of homosexuality by schools and local authorities. Not everyone saw Thatcher’s opposition to labor unions as a good thing, either, although where Thatcher is admired it is chiefly for breaking their stranglehold on the economy and political life of Britain.
A good historical show should help viewers think differently about people and events of the past. Fans may not want Anderson to make them like Thatcher, but they might be able to learn something from her portrayal. If you leave the show maintaining all of your preconceived notions, then you will have probably just wasted your time.
