PremiumDoes Gillian Anderson own The Crown for TV shows? Examining actor's best roles after her Emmy Award win
Pratishruti Ganguly
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In a sweeping win, Netflix’s royal drama, The Crown, took home as many as five awards at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards that was held in Los Angeles on Sunday. Apart from the best drama series prize, The Crown also nabbed four wins for acting — Gillian Anderson, Olivia Colman, Josh O'Connor and Tobias Menzies, who essayed the parts of Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and the Duke of Edinburgh, respectively.
Anderson bested The Crown co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Emerald Fennell, along with The Handmaid’s Tale stars Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd, Samira Wiley and Madeline Brewer and Aunjanue Ellis (Lovecraft Country) to claim the award for outstanding supporting actress.
This marks the second Emmy win for Anderson after her big win in 1997 for lead actress in The X Files, where she played Special Agent Dana Scully. As the actress adds another feather to her cap, here’s looking at some of Anderson’s best roles through the years.
1
The X Files
Arguably one of Anderson’s most celebrated roles in TV history, The X-Files saw the actress slip into the shoes of Dana Scully, the iconic FBI agent known for her objectivity and scepticism. She is often heralded as a 20th-century feminist icon — perhaps the first female character in a television series belonging to the STEM field. The character gave rise to the phenomenon known as “Scully effect”, which demonstrates over 50 percent of women familiar with Dana Scully have actively sought out careers in law, science and medicine. Such was the impact of the character, who also became a pioneer of 80-90s power dressing, complete with shoulder-padded suits and black stilettos.
2
The Simpsons Season 35
The Simpsons saw Anderson take a sly dig at her own iconic character in the eighth season of the show, in a spoof episode of The X-Files. Titled The Springfield Files, the episode mined Anderson’s dry-as-bone humour as Dana Scully appeared much more stoic in her appearance. The episode itself dealt with the frenzy surrounding X-Files and its exploration of alien life and government conspiracies.
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3
Sex Education Season 4
Gillian Anderson plays Jean Milburn, a sex therapist and the mother of Otis, an underconfident, introverted teenager in Netflix’s Sex Education. Her role is complex — she is, on one hand, holds liberal values about sex, and yet, as a mother, often rifles through her son’s belonging and follows him to his school to spy on him. Speaking about this layered character, Anderson once said in an interview that while she herself could not quite reconcile with the conflicting aspects of the character, it was Jean’s convoluted nature that made her enjoy playing the part most, eventually.
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4
Hannibal
Anderson played yet another therapist in the psychological drama series Hannibal, but her role could not have been further removed from Jean Milburn. As a matter of fact, Dr Bedelia Du Maurier (Anderson) is austere and incisive, and perhaps the only person who is privy to Hannibal’s (Mads Mikkelsen)’s sociopathic tendencies. Although she is initially intrigued and fascinated by Hannibal, Maurier quickly retracts from her role as Hannibal’s psychiatrist to preserve herself. The character is almost a foil to Hannibal, lending a ringside view to the recesses of the human mind.
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5
American Gods
Fans of Gillian Anderson were treated to the actor’s unfathomable range in American Gods, based on Neil Gaiman’s 2001 fantasy novel of the same name. Anderson played Media, a New God who has the power to transform into pop-culture icons David Bowie and Marilyn Monroe, among others. A visual delight, Media controls TV screens, news broadcasts and mass media, and is hailed as the best salesman of the 21st century, peddling ideas of peace and humanity to legions of social media users. It was unfortunate that Anderson exited the show after the first season after showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green stepped back from the project over creative differences.
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6
The Fall
Gillian Anderson in The Fall was the epitome of the steely detective figure American TV had only seen men undertake for the longest time. Stella Gibson (Anderson) is an enigma, who exchanges only as many words with her colleagues as she deems fit. Critics have often likened her characterisation to that of a man — steadfastly focused on her work, so much so that she sleeps in office. However, Anderson has frequently defended Stella Gibson and her choices, given she is always trying to prove her worth in a profession largely dominated by condescending men. Her sexual choices, which have also raised eyebrows among naysayers, is a part of her confident disposition. Explaining further, Anderson stated it was a latent “femininity and responsibility to herself” that was the essence of the character. She has sexual agency and considers it to be non-negotiable.
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7
The Last King of Scotland
The 2006 movie, directed by Kevin Macdonald, revolved around the dictatorial rule of Ugandan President Idi Amin. The film plays out from the perspective of fictional Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) who soon discovers the extent of ruthlessness and brutality of the tyrant. In the mix is Gillian Anderson, who plays the boss’ wife who is attracted to the maverick doctor. The film has earned rave reviews from critics owing to its stellar performances, especially from Forest Whitaker (Amin) and McAvoy. But it was through Anderson’s charming and elusive portrayal of Sarah that the film foregrounds Nicholas’ naivety.
