‘Enemies’ reunited in The Crown cast
THE last time Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies shared the screen, in BBC thriller The Night Manager, they were mortal enemies.
Now they are to be reunited as husband and wife, as it was announced yesterday that Menzies has been cast as the Duke of Edinburgh, opposite Colman as the Queen in The Crown.
The pair will take over from Claire Foy and Matt Smith in series three of the Netflix drama, which will cover the period of the Seventies and Eighties.
After it was disclosed that Smith was paid more than Foy, despite her starring role, the producers promised:
“Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen.”
But Netflix declined to say yesterday if Menzies and Colman will receive the same salary, or whether Colman will be paid more. She has a Golden Globe to her name for The Night Manager, plus three Baftas, and in Britain is the better known of the two. However, Menzies has appeared in several global hits, including Game of Thrones and Outlander. Colman has said she is “ridiculously excited” about taking on the role, adding: “I’m just full of fear – you don’t want to be the one who screws it up.” She is undergoing voice coaching to master the Queen’s distinctive accent. Helena Bonham Carter is reported to be playing Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.