Historical drama The Crown was one of the big winners at yesterday’s Emmy Awards, taking home an impressive 11 gongs.
One of those went to American actor Gillian Anderson who won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, in the series.
Post-Awards, Anderson fronted the media for the obligatory press conference and was asked by a female reporter about “the whole Margaret Thatcher thing”.
The journalist probed: “First question: have you talked to her [Thatcher] about this role at all?”
It’s important to note that Thatcher (aka The Iron Lady) died in 2013.
Unsure how to answer the question, Anderson politely replied: “Well- I’d.. Erm, I have not spoken to Margaret.”
As these things do, social media soon lit up in response.
Now that would make for an interesting episode of the X-Files… https://t.co/cie7nNurjh
— Jack Hancock #JoinAUnion (@1983Jackhancock) September 20, 2021
Gillian communicating with Margaret via ouija board so true https://t.co/L7yKBaR3vS
— Mariel✨ (@hauntingmaslany) September 20, 2021
WHAT DID GILLIAN SAY TO THAT??? 💀💀💀💀
— Cherisse (@CherYourGlam) September 20, 2021
And the evening appeared to get even stranger for Anderson from there.
The 53-year-old – best know for her starring role in 90s sci-fi drama The X-Files – is American by birth and speaks with an American accent.
However, Anderson has been based in the UK for some time now and typically plays roles – including The Crown – that require her to speak with a British accent.
So, when Anderson accepted her Emmy yesterday and started thanking everyone in her real, American accent, social media was quickly very confused.
One fan tried to explain the moment: “She’s multi-bidialectal. Sometimes she has an American accent and sometimes English.”
Check out more of the scratching of heads below:
