Olivia Colman Reveals She’s Taking Lessons to Perfect the Queen’s Accent on ‘The Crown’

She’s on her way to becoming Queen! Though filming for Season 3 of The Crown doesn’t start until July, Olivia Colman is already preparing for her role as Queen Elizabeth by perfecting the monarch’s unique accent. “They’re giving me a great voice coach who will make sure I speak like the Queen,” she recently revealed. “So I’ll just learn the lines and try and copy exactly what they do.”

The actress is understandably anxious about her upcoming role on the beloved Netflix series. “I’m really nervous to take over something that’s been so great — it’s scary,” she told The Sun. But luckily, one of the best possible teachers
— only second to the Queen, herself — has offered to help Olivia! “Claire Foy has let me know I can call if I need to,” she added.

Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth on The Crown.

The 44-year-old previously revealed that show producers put her in contact with Claire, so the latter could share her wisdom since she’s already perfected playing Queen Elizabeth for the first two seasons of The Crown. “She’s f–king amazing and it’s a very hard act to follow,” Olivia told the Radio Times. “They — the people, the grown-ups — put us in touch so I could ask her about it and she was just lovely, she’s one of the sweetest people ever and she’s brilliant.”

So while Olivia is well on her way to becoming Queen Elizabeth, what about her on-screen counterpart? While the actor who will be succeeding Matt Smith as the middle-aged Prince Philip has yet to be confirmed, there is a name in discussion! According to the Daily Mail, the show’s creator Peter Morgan is “very keen” on Hugh Laurie picking up where Matt left off on the series. “Hugh’s name has been swirling around for a long while now and it hasn’t yet stopped — he is the sort of big name that would draw in viewers,” a source told the news outlet. “Other actors have been considered, but Hugh is viewed as the perfect choice.” Better start working on your accent, Hugh — Olivia’s way ahead of you!

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