THE Crown’s Helena Bonham Carter has revealed Olivia Colman derailed a scene by breaking down ‘in lakes of tears’ on set.
The two women will return to their regal roles later this year in season four of the Netflix series.
The series will mark their final appearance before a new cast takes over to reflect the ageing of the Royal Family, and it’s left Helena, 54, reflecting on their time together.
Recalling one of their first scenes, Helena told the media ahead of the Virgin Media BAFTA Television Awards 2020: “My very first scene with Olivia sticks out.
“I had to tell this whole story of a really horrendous tragedy, of Aberfan. And Olivia is extraordinary.
“She’s about the most empathetic individual I know. Lakes of tears inside her. She can’t not cry.
“So she couldn’t listen to me making the speech without crying and the whole point is that she’s playing the Queen, who finds it difficult to express emotion.”
Thankfully the crew came up with a handy solution so they were able to nail the scene.
Helena continued: “So they thought, ‘Oh God, what are we going to do?’
“So they stuck these little earplugs in her. So she wasn’t acting with me at all. She’d just look at me whenever I stopped speaking and she’d be like, ‘Huh?’
“This is what it’s like working with the great Colman. It was hilarious.”
Helena will be handing over the role as Princess Margaret to Lesley Manville for seasons five and six.
She said: “It’s like handing a baton, it’s like this race that we’re all running.”
The Crown season four premieres on Netflix on November 15. Seasons 1-3 are available to watch now.
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