On Season 4 of The Crown spans the years 1977-1990, a turbulent time for the Royal Family and Great Britain. Undoubtedly most fans will be more invested in the whirlwind courtship and turbulent marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles than the banality of British politics. However, Anderson's task is a more monumental one than Emma Corrin (who plays the Princess of Wales). Unlike Diana, Thatcher was a polarizing figure despised by the British people as much as they adored their future Queen.
Thatcher's 11 years as Prime Minister (1979-1990) included austerity policies that were especially hard on the working class. Thatcher's conservative agenda 30 years ago and thousands of miles away won't interest American viewers, but Thatcher was a compelling woman made more so by Anderson's performance. Thatcher was dubbed the "Iron Lady" by the Soviet press because of her uncompromising leadership style. That defining personality trait is evident through The Crown season 4. Thatcher remains steadfast regarding her opinions despite opposition from her party, the general public, and the Queen. Morgan draws parallels between the two women who are similar in many respects. Morgan told Vanity Fair, "They’re both very resilient, very committed, work incredibly hard, have an extraordinary sense of duty. But then they had such different ideas about running the country."
If viewers thought Olivia Coleman's monarch could be cool and distant, she comes across as much more empathetic to the plight of the people than Anderson's Thatcher, particularly in episode 5 "Fagan" when Queen Elizabeth pleads the man's case to Thatcher, who's more concerned about receiving accolades for winning a war that guaranteed her another term (The Crown's season 4 ending explores Thatcher's downfall.) Thatcher, the daughter of a shopkeeper and a self-made woman, does exhibit some not so subtle resentment of the aristocracy. During their discussion about imposing sanctions on South Africa, Anderson's Thatcher is at times dismissive and condescending and others reverent.
Perhaps the most difficult thing to reconcile about Margaret Thatcher was that she was so severe in criticizing her own sex. She only promoted one female Cabinet member during her 11 years as Prime Minister. While Anderson's Thatcher idolizes her father, she can barely contain her disdain for her mother. Thatcher idolizes her son (one of The Crown's season 4's factually accurate plot points), treats her daughter with indifference, and her husband with kid gloves. She tells Queen Elizabeth that she doesn't feel women are fit to hold positions of power because they can be too emotional and falls apart during one of their sit-downs. Anderson's Thatcher can't be reduced to a familiar stereotype that strong women must be masculine or abhor traditional gender roles to be successful. The actress told EW, " ... even if I did have opinions, the fact is that she was the first female prime minister of Great Britain, and she lasted for 11 years, and that’s extraordinary in and of itself."
Anderson delved deep into research mode to prepare for her role on The Crown, watching videos, including the documentary Thatcher: A British Revolution, and reading biographies. Anderson told Vanity Fair preparations began almost a year before filming. Anderson worked with a voice coach to perfect Thatcher's voice without it devolving into "parody." Anderson's transformation also included some well-placed padding and Thatcher's signature hairstyle. Anderson told Yahoo! News, "The hair, it took a long time to get it right," says the actress. "There were two wigs, one for the first half and one that was slightly different for the second half, that I think had a bit more red in it. So, that took some time, to not be too big, to get the coif just right." Anderson drew the line at wearing prosthetic teeth for The Crown to match Thatcher's, instead focusing on her acting, which should draw her awards recognition when the time comes.