Dame Helen Mirren has shrugged off suggestions that she could portray the Queen in a future series of The Crown, claiming that it will be more “more interesting” if another actress attempts the role.
Mirren, 74, won an Oscar for her portrayal of the monarch in 2006 film The Queen, which was written by The Crown’s creator Peter Morgan.
She has also played the royal in Morgan’s play The Audience, and won a Tony for her performance in 2015.
When asked by Lorraine Kelly if she would consider joining Morgan’s hit Netflix show after Olivia Colman reigns over series three and four, the actress said: “I don’t think so.
“A lot of people are wonderful, Claire [Foy] I thought was brilliant, I know that Olivia is going to be fantastic.”
She added that it would be “more interesting” for viewers to “see other portraits” of the monarch, adding: “It builds into a much more interesting picture than someone just coming back and just doing [the same role].”
Morgan previously revealed that he had not discussed the possibility of Mirren joining the show with the star, but told Entertainment Weekly: “She loves the show. She thought there was nothing left to say, and I think she’s really surprised.”
Colman will replace Foy in the forthcoming third series of the lavish costume drama, which lands on Netflix on November 17.
Dame Helen Mirren - In pictures
The new season features an entirely fresh cast as the action moves into the late ‘60s and ‘70s, with Tobias Menzies taking on the role of Prince Philip and Helena Bonham Carter joining the show as the Queen’s younger sister, Princess Margaret.
According to Netflix, the third series will see “a new guard sweep into Downing Street, as Queen Elizabeth and her family struggle to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing Britain” and adapt to “a new, more liberated, but also more turbulent world.”
Lorraine airs weekdays from 8.30am on ITV.
