Olivia Colman thinks Queen Elizabeth is “superhuman”.
The award-winning actress plays the monarch in ‘The Crown’, but she doesn’t see too many similarities between the Queen and her real-life self.
She explained: “The Queen is as strong as steel, which I think is extraordinary. She’s a superhuman, which is very far removed from me. Staying in her stoic mindset was always a challenge because I’m very emotional and I cry a lot.
“Whenever anyone says anything sad, I burst into tears. If I see a picture of a puppy, I’ll burst into tears. I feel like the Queen might naturally want to do that, but she’s not allowed to, so I wasn’t.”
Imelda Staunton is set to replace Olivia, 46, for the final two seasons of ‘The Crown’.
But the acclaimed actress has insisted she “wouldn’t dare offer” any advice to Imelda.
She told Radio Times: “I haven’t spoken to Imelda and I wouldn’t dare offer any advice about playing the Queen.
“Imelda is extraordinary and she’s going to do it all much better than me. I can’t wait to watch what she does.”
Earlier this year, Olivia admitted to admiring the Queen’s “humility” and “stoicism”.
In fact, the actress revealed she was “slightly in love with her” after playing the monarch in the hit Netflix show.
She said: “Having played the Queen, I have become slightly in love with her now. I think as far as royals go, she has such humility and a sort of stoicism that are very impressive.”
Despite this, Olivia doesn’t claim to know too much about her.
She confessed: “I understand our version of the Queen, but I wouldn’t dare suggest that I understand the real Queen.
“We can imagine living in someone else’s shoes, but I wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to say ‘Oh yeah, I totally know what she goes through.’ There’s no way.”